Nothing Whole, Nothing Broken
by TheKeybladeForger
Summary: After losing her world and narrowly escaping from the Realm of Darkness, a young girl with no memory of where she came from finds herself caught in the middle of a struggle between Big Shimaron's tyranny and Small Shimaron's schemes. And thinking that Yuri is also a "Key" she asks him and his friends to help her find the truth behind her lost past, but Sara has other things in mind
1. Another Key

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh or Kingdom Hearts; this is purely fan-made.

**Note:** Hello all you beautiful people! And welcome to a brand new year! 2014 baby! Woot-woot Ahem...so, the deal with this story is that in a way it's more Kingdom Hearts based than a Kyo Kara Maoh based because unlike _'Begotten Hearts'_ my new OC comes directly from the Kingdom Hearts universe and ends up in the world of Kyo Kara Maoh after losing all of her memories. So basically its taking concepts from Kingdom Hearts and applying them to Yuri's world, such as each world having a Keyhole, being invaded by the Heartless after their world is _'opened,'_ and a bunch of other things. Including-of course-the Keyblade. And now that I think about it, with something as evil as the Originators that once existed in their world you'd think that the Heartless would have actually shown up there a long time ago. But I digress. I hope you guys like this new spin on things and hopefully this year I will FINALLY be able to complete some of my fan fiction goals from last year like completing some of those long overdue stories of mine! So anyway, without further ado, please enjoy and don't forget to write me a quick review to let me know if I should keep this story going or try something else! Because I have projects aplenty!

~Chapter 1: Another Key~

_(Sanctuary by Utada Hikaru)_

_In you and I there's a new land._

_(Angels in flight)_

_My Sanctuary_

_My Sanctuary yeah,_

_Where fears and lies melt away._

_(Musical tides)_

_What's left of me?_

_What's left of me now?_

_I watch you fast asleep._

_All I fear means nothing._

_In you and I there's a new land._

_(Angels in flight)_

_My Sanctuary_

_My Sanctuary yeah,_

_Where fears and lies melt away._

_(Musical tides)_

_What's left of me?_

_What's left of me now?_

_My fears, my lies..._

_Melt away._

_You show me how to see that nothing is whole_

_And nothing is broken._

_In you and I there's a new land._

_(Angels in flight)_

_My Sanctuary_

_My Sanctuary yeah,_

_Where fears and lies melt away._

_(Musical tides)_

_What's left of me?_

_What's left of me now?_

_(My heart's a battleground)_

_My fears, my lies..._

_Melt away._

* * *

_There were only two things I was absolutely sure of: One, this was definitely not the world I came from. And second, I was definitely in big trouble. We were being attacked by a strange black creature-a Heartless-that appeared to be born of the very darkness itself. And it was clearly seeking to destroy my heart and whatever was left of the person I used to be._

_Although, I realized later on that it wasn't actually after me exclusively. It was afraid of the weapon in my hands...a key that opens doors that exists as one with my heart; the Keyblade. The Keyblade is all I have left of my life from before, or maybe it's all I ever had to begin with. I don't know. I can't really remember much of anything now except that I have always had it. _

_So, as far as I know, this is the place where my life truly began anyway; in this strange new world with only a Keyblade in my hand and a desire to know what destiny has in store for me. Especially now that everything else that once made me '_me'_ has already faded away into the darkness..._

* * *

When I opened my eyes and saw my very first glimpse of the world, it almost seemed as empty as I felt. There was nothing but trees everywhere I looked for what seemed like miles. And although I knew nothing about this new world, I was lucky enough to know what a _'tree'_ even was. All of my memories from before that moment were completely gone. But, at least I had enough self awareness-and common knowledge-in spite of that so that I wasn't completely helpless and could decide what to do with myself from there.

So in the end I simply chose a direction and started to walk deeper into the forest, not really knowing where I was going or where I wanted to end up. And as I kept walking, I started to question myself to occupy my time. The usual things one would ask themselves in my situation like: _Who am I? What is my name? Where did I come from? Where am I? What should I do? _Unfortunately, even though I asked myself all of these things, nothing came to me. Because there was nothing left for me to remember anymore, nothing at all.

Before long, the trees began to thin and I could suddenly sense the presence of other people up ahead. I wasn't really sure how, but I could sense their presence and among them there was...something else, a presence that seemed oddly familiar to me. As if drawn by that presence alone, I unconsciously quickened my pace and soon came to the very edge of a clearing where I saw two boys walking alone across it to an army stationed on the other side...

One of them was dressed entirely in white with long golden hair and shades tinted the color of pale lavender. And the other boy, it was definitely _his_ presence that had piqued my interest. He was the one who felt familiar, and made me feel strangely...warm inside. Almost like how you would feel after seeing a long lost friend that you haven't seen in years and having all of those fond memories and feelings of your time together come flooding back to you all at once.

I was unsure what it was about him that seemed so fascinating at first. And I wondered if it was because of this odd feeling I felt in my chest or just because he was also dressed in black like I was. No, it was definitely something much deeper than that. There was something buried inside of him that was glowing faintly like a dying ember in the far reaches of his heart. I just couldn't fully understand what it was just yet; that it was the light of someone important to me.

That's when I knew that I had to reach him before he got to the other side, and I was about to step out of the shadows when I saw the other boy jump in front of his friend and shout in alarm- "Yuri, look out!"

The next thing I knew, my whole body instinctively tensed like a coiled spring and I suddenly thought more urgently: _I have to get over there. _And no sooner had the thought crossed my mind that I felt this strange rush-as if my body was now as light as air-and I warped right in front of them and summoned some kind of key-shaped weapon to deflect the attack.

The arrow came rushing straight at me with a low hiss but with a swift uppercut, I cut the arrow clean in two and it fell to the ground with a silent clatter; now only as harmless as the wood it was made of. Lowering my weapon, I stared down at it and wondered aloud, "What is this? How did I...?"

_Keyblade..._

"Huh?" I blinked, turning around to find the source of the voice before realizing it was only in my head. I waited for a moment to see if I would hear it again, but the voice did not say anything more so I returned my attention back to the two boys and asked them calmly, "Are...you two alright...?"

Before either of them could answer me, the ground started to shake and the sky abruptly darkened above us. It was almost as if the sun itself had been completely snuffed out like the flame of a candle and plunged us all into darkness. However, it immediately became clear that this wasn't the case when we all looked up. For what had actually blotted out the sun was a creature even blacker than a shadow which had suddenly come into being right in front of where we were all standing.

It was a giant pitch black monster-as it were made up entirely of crystallized darkness-with a huge heart-shaped crevasse cut out of its stomach that we could see all the way through to the other side. Its arms were corded with very powerful-looking muscles, long clawed fingers, and there was a pair of shriveled black wings protruding from its broad shoulders. The only part of its entire body that _wasn't_ pitch black were its glowing yellow eyes peering out from behind the tendrils of darkness obscuring most of its expressionless face.

And the moment I saw it, another word came to mind and I murmured it softly under my breath, "The Heartless..."

"W-what's going on? Who is that? What the hell _is_ that?!" Ranjeel shouted fearfully as the Heartless rose up to its full height, probably thinking that it was the Demon King-or me-who had summoned it to kill them. "Shoot! Shoot! Shoot them! I no longer care! Kill both the Demon King and Saralegui!"

After that, a wave of arrows starting raining down in a vast torrent on both the creature and the three of us. But as they descended upon the Heartless-which I suddenly recalled was called a Darkside-the arrows passed right through its skin and disintegrated upon impact before they could hit us. And in response to their attack, the Darkside lifted one of its massive arms and smashed one of their towers, opening a pool of darkness where its fist landed and summoned creatures similar to itself that attacked him and his men while the rest turned around and came after us...

Or, more specifically, me.

"Go," I said to Yuri and Saralegui after cutting down several of the smaller Heartless that had lunged at me-having heard their names from Ranjeel when he shouted them earlier. "I'll handle this."

As if finally coming to his senses again, Yuri asked me hastily, "Wait, who are-"

"Just go," I told him simply, looking back at all the Heartless tearing further into Ranjeel's army. But then, I found myself adding as more of an afterthought, "Besides, don't you…have someone you need to protect?"

"You mean Sara? Yeah-" Yuri nodded before looking at his friend with a confident smile, "-I guess you're right. After all, he just tried to protect me so I should do the same for him!" looking worried though, he started to ask, "But, what about-"

Narrowing his gaze ever so slightly, Saralegui cut him off and asked me the same thing Yuri was about to, "What about you? Will you be alright?"

Surprised, I glanced back at Saralegui from beneath my hood and admitted, "I...don't know for sure, but, this is something I have to do. This must be why I am here. It has to be, or else why was I..."

Trailing off and looking down at the Keyblade again, gripping it tighter, I slowly rose it up to eye level and without so much as another word to either of them, I charged forward without looking back just as I had done from the very beginning. Driven only by instinct and a desire to protect them even though both of them were complete strangers to me.

Because at that moment, I felt fighting my way forward-and into the light of a new day-was the only way that the emptiness in my heart would start to fill again. After all, I had no memories, no name, and no real reason to fight. I had nothing left to feel in my heart but this faint sense of nostalgia towards Yuri that may or may not have been real. Most likely, it just me needing to have some sense of purpose…

Still, in the end I probably only decided to fight if for no other reason than to understand why holding the Keyblade felt so natural to me; as if it was the only part of me that still remembered what was really worth fighting for. Someone like Yuri, who was full of a light that made even someone as broken as me want to do everything in my power not to lose it. Because what better thing could there be to fill my empty heart with but the light of someone whose heart was so pure? Especially amidst those whose hearts were being blackened and consumed by the very Heartless I was fighting right in front of us.

* * *

"Your Majesty! We must retreat!" Janis advised Ranjeel after slaying several more Heartless with his esoteric powers before they could reach Ranjeel while their other soldiers did their best to subdue the Darkside without much luck.

"But the Demon King is right before me...!" Ranjeel rebuked, too stubborn to retreat now even while all this was happening around him and his men were falling left and right.

"The longer we stay here the more damage will be inflicted on us!" Janis reasoned a bit more gently. "Hurry! Take His Majesty to safety!" he ordered the nearest soldiers before glancing back at me as I almost effortlessly cut my way towards the Darkside in order to defeat it with my Keyblade.

He knew right away that I wasn't one of his subordinates, mainly because the design of my clothing was absolutely nothing like the uniform of the White Crows. What's more, I didn't bear their emblem or anything else that marked me as one of theirs. Only a black coat with a zipper all the way up the front and a hood covering my entire face. Aside from that, what intrigued him the most about me was my Keyblade; a weapon shaped in the likeness of a giant key with a guard and a keychain hanging from the hilt.

And Janis could sense its incredible power as soon as I had summoned it as well as my own strength the closer I came to them as they continued their futile battle against the Heartless. Their arrows were having almost no effect on them, and even their swords hardly dealt any damage to the Heartless, let alone the Darkside itself. In fact, not too long after its first attack, the Darkside used some sort of dark magic to create a storm that rained down orbs of darkness that honed in on them and hurt whomever they touched.

It was once I finally reached the Darkside that Janis really got a better look at me. Of course, my face was still hidden beneath the hood of my coat, but there was no doubt that I was naturally skilled with the Keyblade. With only a few strokes of my Keyblade, the Heartless vanished. And unlike when one of them slew a Heartless, a new one did not appear to replace it. That's when he came to understand that my weapon and these creatures were somehow connected. Or at the very least, I had the power to defeat them. And if I had _that_ kind of power, surely I could revive the Divine Sword for him and his true master, the leader of the White Crows.

So with that it was decided that from that point on Janis would do his best to figure out who I really was so that he and the White Crows could capture me and use my power for their own ends. Not that I knew that Janis had been watching me the whole time since I was so focused on the task at hand. Even so, the truth was that Janis wasn't the only one after my power, I just didn't remember who they were yet...

And I wouldn't remember anything until I recovered everything that I had lost and learned what my own name was again; the one thing that defined me as more than just some strange girl with a Keyblade. That name was the key that would unlock my past and lead me back to the people I miss, but until then I would continue to yearn for the familiarity of what I had lost. And since I had found something similar to that in Yuri, I would keep on fighting for him in order to take back what was mine while staying alongside someone who-in my eyes-was also a _'Key'_.

* * *

"You guys!" Yuri shouted once he and Sara made it safely back to the other side of the field to meet up with his friends. "I'm so glad you're all ok."

"What the hell happened back there Yuri?!" Wolfram asked sharply, taking his shoulders and looking him over worriedly, "Are you hurt anywhere? Did you get hit?"

Yuri shook his head and gesturing at Sara as he explained, "No, I'm fine Wolfram, Sara saved me from getting shot by jumping in front of me just in time. Well-" then, looking back over to where I was still fighting off Heartless he admitted, "-sort of. I mean he _tried_ to anyway but then that girl came out of nowhere and..."

"Girl?" Conrad asked, following his gaze, "You mean that person in the black hood?"

Yuri nodded, "Yeah. She literally appeared out of nowhere and cut the arrow right in half. It was so cool! And get this: she summoned her weapon out of thin air too. You know, that thing that's shaped like a giant key or something that she's carrying?"

"What about that creature?" Gunter asked in a deeply troubled tone of voice, "Where did it come from?"

"No clue," Yuri replied, turning back to face them. "But she said she could handle it and told me that I had someone to protect so Sara and I both hurried to get back over here before more of those monsters showed up. Still, I'm really worried about her you guys. Something seemed...I dunno, kinda off about her. Like when she first started talking to us it was like she could hardly string two words together. And even when she _did,_ her words seemed lifeless so I wonder if something's wrong...?"

"In either case, we have to get out of here before the big one decides to attack us next," Murata advised grimly, "We've been given a chance to escape while Ranjeel is distracted so we had better take advantage of that while we still can."

Sara nodded and said, "I agree. However, it was only because of her that we were given this chance so perhaps we should wait a little longer to see if we can all escape together like Yuri is suggesting."

Wolfram however, shook his head and argued, "We may not get another chance though! I say we do as she said and just go before-"

"Wait a moment, Wolfram. Look-" Conrad said in astonishment, pointing towards Ranjeel's army, "-it appears that they're retreating."

When they all turned to look they saw that Conrad was right, Big Shimaron's whole army really were retreating. Although, from their point of view, it must have looked like they were running away like dogs with their tail between their legs as they stumbled over each other to get away as fast as they possibly could because not too long after Ranjeel was taken to safety, his men soon realized how hopeless it was to keep on fighting the Heartless and followed after him almost immediately. Leaving only myself and the Darkside fighting in the heavy rain that had started to fall down on us...

For the most part, I carefully studied its movements before looking for an opening and attacking the Darkside wherever I could reach, which was mainly its arms and legs. Of course, the Darkside still summoned other Heartless occasionally but those were easy enough to cut down. And before long I noticed that the Darkside was growing more desperate to stop me and threw everything it had left at me, but still I continued to fight regardless of that.

And thankfully I wasn't cold from the rain thanks to my coat but I could feel my arms and the Keyblade growing heavier by the minute and knew that I needed to end this fight quickly. So after circling the Darkside one more time and waiting for it to throw its fist into the ground again-which would go down all the way up to its shoulder to reach into the darkness-I ran towards it at full speed and leapt high into the air with my Keyblade and went straight for its head for the final blow. As I did this however, the Darkside suddenly looked up at me just long enough to pull its arm back out again to try and land an attack of its own before I could destroy it for good.

My eyes widened as I realized that it was doing this but it was too late for me to pull back now, I had to finish my attack. I'm not sure how I did it but after drawing upon my last bit of strength I felt the impact of my Keyblade against the Darkside just as its fist made contact with me at the same time and somehow I was able to force my way through it and clove the Heartless completely in half just like the arrow from earlier. Then there was a bright flash of light coming from its chest for a moment and then everything seemed to slow down for me as I landed on the other side of it before everything started resuming normal speed again once my feet safely hit the wet grass.

After that, everything went quiet except for the soft patter of rain against my leather coat and the grass swaying at my feet. Then, I looked up at the sky, feeling content with myself for the moment before soundlessly crumpling to the ground after using up all of my strength; which made my Keyblade vanish too along with my consciousness. And as I drifted off into a deep sleep, smelling nothing but the sweet scent of rain and hearing the soft rustle of the grass as Yuri and his friends rushed over to me, I knew that even though this world wasn't where I came from, it was the place I needed to be. I was needed here. And as long as I was needed, everything else would surely start to fall back into place...so as long as I had something to fight for.


	2. Light Within Darkness

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh or Kingdom Hearts; this is purely fan-made.

**Note:** Hey guys, so I hope you're looking forward to this next chapter because I got just the kind of review I needed to decide to keep it going! Yay! So thank you _'YuGiOh-Lover25' _for giving me the inspiration I needed. Now, another funny thing about this story is that when I wrote the first chapter I was watching the remastered cut-scenes from Kingdom Hearts 1.5 for 358/2days to try and get my OC to feel like she was in a Roxas-like setting where she comes into the world knowing nothing about herself and can't express herself very easily since her mind and heart has been reduced to a blank slate. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter!

~Chapter 2: Light Within Darkness~

_(Sanctuary by Utada Hikaru Backwards Version)_

_Yeah I was him_

_Someone now, turn it down_

_Why?_

_He was Ansem, he was Ansem_

_I need more affection than you know_

_Wasn't it easy?_

_Yeah I was him_

_We all three grew_

_I hear I was Ansem, I hear I was Ansem_

_I need more affection than you know_

_And now you shall sleep_

_And it was real_

_And I never knew it_

_Close it_

_Now I can't close it_

_It finally slips_

_I hate emotion_

_I need true emotions_

_I need more affection than you know_

_I need true emotions_

_I will not destroy them_

_So many ups and downs_

_He was Ansem, he was Ansem_

_I need more affection than you know_

_Wasn't it easy?_

_Yeah I was him_

_We all three grew_

_I hear I was Ansem, I hear I was Ansem_

_I need more affection than you know_

_And now you shall sleep_

_And it was real_

_And I never knew it_

_Closing, hurry_

_We are all_

_Even we still laugh_

_We shall be back_

_He was Ansem, he was Ansem_

_I need more affection than you know_

_Wasn't it easy?_

_Yeah I was him_

_We all three grew_

_I hear I was Ansem, I hear I was Ansem_

_I need more affection than you know_

_And now you shall sleep_

_And it was real_

_And I never knew it_

_I need more affection than you know..._

_Namine', sorry_

_I see but now it went away_

_The mirror; put your light against the mirror forward and far._

_You are sent far off against the mirror that has your light..._

* * *

_Night had long since fallen by the time we finally reached Saralegui's castle; their hour, when the Heartless could meld into the shadows more easily and sneak up on their unsuspecting prey. However, since my Keyblade was sheathed inside of my heart and its light safely hidden away from their sight, we were relatively safe from any more attacks from the Heartless. At least for the moment, though they would definitely come after me again before long._

_But, several hours before I woke up in his castle after the Darkside was defeated and I collapsed, they learned something about me that changed everything. And finding out about it only made it that much more important for them to get me back to safety before Ranjeel sent someone back here to demand answers about everything that happened up until that point, including Yuri's involvement with Small Shimaron from before I came into this world. _

_Of course it was obvious that Big Shimaron was most likely going to blame Yuri for the Darkside's appearance too but that was actually the last thing on everyone's mind right now. It was me, and what they discovered after taking off my hood to find out who I really was..._

_And what they saw was that my hair-like Yuri's-was pitch black._

* * *

With rain streaking down my cheeks like the slow gentle fall of tears, they saw my face for the very first time; a face that I no longer remembered as my own. It was pale-which wasn't all that surprising given how much of my power I overused-almost like polished ivory that only made my hair seem that much darker a shade of black. And it clung to my face as the rain continued to steadily fall down on all of us, falling freely over my eyes.

I must have only been as old as Yuri or Saralegui, about sixteen or seventeen in human years, that much was easy enough for them to tell. As for the rest, they would just have to ask me when I regained consciousness. Although, they weren't likely to find out much of anything once they knew about my amnesia. Everything I once knew about who I was was gone, and all I had left were the broken pieces of my heart that I had no way of reaching on my own. And thinking back on it now it makes me wonder; how was I able to wield a Keyblade at all if my heart-my entire being-was at that very moment on the very brink of losing the last of its light to the darkness of oblivion...?

"H-her hair...its-" Gunter gaped, feeling himself start to blush despite himself at the sight of it, "-it's black! Just like His Majesty's!"

"But who is she? Where did she come from?" Yosak asked, crossing his arms.

Carefully picking me up so he wouldn't accidentally jostle me awake, Conrad turned back to everyone and replied, "We'll worry about that later Yosak. For now, I say we follow Ranjeel's example and get out of here. "

"Right," Yosak nodded and all of them started to head back to the carriages, caught up in their own thoughts about this whole thing.

And with that, our first journey together began...

* * *

Inside of the second carriage that Murata and others were in-including Yuri now to make sure he wasn't targeted again-they watched my condition very closely as we made our way there. Still unsure of whether or not-even after everything I did to keep them all safe-I could really be trusted. To my credit though, they'd never seen that kind of natural prowess before against creatures such as the Heartless, and they were all very curious to know who trained me to fight so well with such a peculiar weapon. Sure, they had seen their share of people who used specialized weapons rather than a normal sword like most people did, but never a weapon like mine fashioned in the shape of a key that could be summoned and dismissed at will.

And everyone was-even now-still in shock about the devastating power they had witnessed from the Darkside I took down too. It was almost as powerful as the monsters the Originators once summoned and that troubled them all greatly. And they kept trying to make sense of what happened or where it came from in the first place, but nothing about its sudden appearance made any sense.

The only thing that they knew for certain was that _someone _had tried to assassinate Yuri, and it was clear at this point that Ranjeel had been telling the truth that time about not being the person who ordered it. And then, only moments later, the Heartless appeared and instead of attacking Yuri or Saralegui directly as well, they went after Ranjeel and they wondered how the two events were related to each other. Although, the reason why the Darkside attacked them might have just been because it was _his_ men who provoked it...

Of course, it was entirely possible that _I_ was the one behind it all-including the arrow aimed at Yuri to gain their trust-but Murata said that he highly doubted it. Especially after hearing Saralegui's side of the story too about what I said to them. And Yuri pretty much confirmed this when he told them the same thing, about how I seemed confused about why I was there but fought anyway, as though driven by a sense of obligation to defeat the Heartless and saving them wasn't my first priority, not to mention I didn't seem to know who either of them were when it should have been obvious.

But instead of worrying about the finer details of this whole situation Yuri and the others knew that first of all they had to make sure no one else found out about me and the fact that my hair was black; especially in the middle of everything else going on with Big Shimaron. Because up until that point, the only other people with black hair in their world were Yuri himself, his best friend Murata, and of course his older brother Shori. All of them of course known members of the Demon Tribe.

So seeing anyone else with that coloring would automatically make others assume I was with them all along, which I wasn't. I don't know where I was before meeting them, not really. I only had this vague idea of being trapped all alone in the dark for a very long time before finally finding my way out somehow. But beyond that, their guess was as good as mine...

* * *

A few hours later, I woke up alone in an unfamiliar room. Then again, what _was_ familiar to me at this point...?

When I looked around, I saw that the bedding I was covered with was the soft color of salmon, and then as I turned my head to the side the walls around me were a subdued shade of red with golden tracery lining the upper and lower portions that were decorated with a wide arrange of portraits and paintings. And above me, there was a golden chandelier hanging in the center of the ceiling. Still, none of it was familiar to me and for some reason I felt...cold there, like there was a lingering chill in the air or a sense that these halls had never seen much love, only loneliness in the silence.

It took me a minute to remember what happened to me, and after I did I got up and wandered over to the door. I tried the handle, but it was locked. And since I had no way of knowing then which side had taken me, I thought that it would probably be best if I escaped that room and tried to find those two boys again, especially the one who felt so familiar. So instinctively, a called upon my Keyblade and was about to use it to unlock the door when I sensed Yuri's presence approaching and stopped with a sigh of relief but also feeling very puzzled by my own reaction.

_There it is again, that same feeling as before._ I thought to myself, dismissing my Keyblade again and stepping away from the door. _I can feel him. It's the presence of that boy I saved before. So _they're_ the ones who took me. But, why lock the door? Didn't I make it clear that I'm not their enemy? Or do they suspect that I summoned that Darkside to this world?_

I was still wondering what I should do next when a brown haired man-whose name I learned a few minutes later was Conrad-opened the door for Yuri, Saralegui, and the others and they saw me standing there in the middle of the room with my arms folded apparently very deep in thought. So closing the door behind them, he smiled and said, "Ah good, you're awake. We were worried about you. So are you feeling any better now?"

Slowly opening my eyes, I lowered my arms and replied honestly, "Better or worse? I don't know..."

After that I looked up to face him directly when I saw their eyes widen the moment they saw the color of my eyes and an awed gasp swept over the entire group, even Saralegui seemed surprised and his eyes widened too. Confused by their odd reaction, I noticed a window nearby and walked over to it to see what all the fuss was about. Not to mention to see what I looked like for myself too.

Both of my eyes were a deep shade of black-pretty much like they half suspected that they would be-but they didn't match. My left eye though was lighter than the other and had a strange metallic sheen to it that I found rather interesting. Almost like I was blind in that eye but I could see just fine. And now that my hair was dry, it was much easier to see how it was styled; it was cut to frame my face with short, layered spikes while the rest of it flowed freely down my shoulders in long wavy currents.

As for my face, I was very fair skinned, without any scars to mark the pain of the past that I must have endured to lose my memories like this; and to be honest I wasn't sure whether to be relieved about that or to feel disappointed about not having something to explain why I didn't recognize this face at all. But, maybe the mismatched color of my eyes was what marked me as...different from them. Although I wasn't sure why I thought that, I mean, how different could we possibly be? Weren't they human too?

_So, this is what I look like, _I thought to myself, reaching up to touch my cheek in wonder when-

"Hey uh-" Yuri began nervously, "-are you ok?"

I simply nodded without looking at him and after lowering my hand and dropping it limply to my side I asked them, "What...happened to me?"

"You collapsed right after defeating that terrible creature," Saralegui explained, smiling softly as he walked up beside me and touched my shoulder. "You were very brave to face something like that by yourself just to save us, so thank you for that. We are both in your debt."

"You're...that boy from before. The one that man called _'Saralegui...'_" I recalled, turning to face him as I asked, "You weren't attacked by the Heartless again after I passed out, were you...?"

"Heartless? You mean those black things?" Yuri asked me.

"Yes," I answered with a slight nod, resting a hand under my chin as I remembered, "That's right, now I remember. I defeated that Darkside after it attacked the army I saw the two of you approaching and then after that...everything went black. And for a moment I honestly thought...that I had fallen into darkness again."

Unconsciously, I suppressed a shutter as the memory of a scattered dream I had just before I woke up suddenly floated back to the surface of my thoughts; stabbing at my heart like broken glass, and making it ache. Because some of them were more than just figments of a dream, they were the shards of my true memories lost to the darkness that were ready to be brought back into the light again...

I remembered running desperately to find my friends as the beautiful land I once called my home was torn asunder all around me, being dragged into a sphere of darkness until almost nothing was left of the world. The memory of a familiar hand reaching out to grab mine and the feeling of our fingers slipping apart as the darkness pulled me in. The faded memory of a child's smiling face as the two of us walked amidst the trees talking about seeing something no one else had ever seen before when we were all grown up. And finally, the distant memory of the same voice I heard name the weapon in my hands telling me that I had been chosen by the Keyblade to save a very special world, a world that only existed on the _'other side'_ of the heart of another world.

Whatever that was supposed to mean...

"Excuse me, but aren't you all forgetting something important?" Conrad pointed out, gesturing in my general direction while I was lost in my thoughts again. "We still don't even know her name yet. Don't you think that it's a little rude not to ask?"

Scratching the back of his head, Yuri laughed nervously, "Yeah, you're right Conrad. Sorry about that," he said, bowing his head apologetically.

"Well then let's do this properly," the man with the long silver hair agreed and spoke to me with a strange amount of reverence as he said, "My name is Gunter Von Christ, I am King Yuri's mentor and I cannot begin to thank you enough for saving his life. And this-" gesturing at the other black haired boy he said, "-is our esteemed Great Wiseman, Ken Murata who is also His Majesty's best friend. Next to him is Wolfram Von Bielefeld, the younger brother of Conrad Weller, one of the strongest swordsmen in the entire Great Demon Kingdom. Then we have Yosak Gurier, who is once of Conrad's closest comrades. And finally we have King Yuri himself and King Saralegui, whose castle we are staying in right now."

Looking at each of them in turn, I listed off, "Gunter Von Christ, Ken Murata, Wolfram Von Bielefeld, Conrad Weller, Yosak Gurier, King Yuri, and King Saralegui."

Gunter nodded, "Yes, that's right. Now if you would be so kind, can you tell us your name?"

Deciding that there was really no point in hiding it from them since they were sure to find out anyway, I shook my head and hung my head low as I admitted, "I _would_ tell you, but the truth is...I don't remember it."

"Hmph, do you really expect us to believe that?" Wolfram snickered rather rudely which made me round on him and narrow my gaze.

"Believe me or don't, that's your choice. But it won't change the truth..." I told him, glancing away from him and clenching my fists. "I honestly don't remember anything from before I came here-not much anyway-and yet I know in my heart that this-" looking straight up at them with a certainty that I hoped left no doubt I their mind that I was telling the truth, I said, "-this...isn't the world I came from. When I first opened my eyes, nothing I saw felt real to me anymore. I was empty. So after hours of aimlessly wandering in the forest, not knowing where I should go, who I was, or what I should do, I felt his presence shining like a beckon to me," I pointed at Yuri, "He's the one...who finally broke through the haze and helped me see the light again; a light I had all but forgotten."

Walking over to Yuri, I placed my hand over his heart-ignoring Wolfram's protests and insults-and continued with a soft smile teasing my lips, "I knew it, you...feel the same as when I wield the Keyblade; so familiar. That's why I think I understand why I had to save you, no matter what. Because aren't you...also a _'Key'_? And if you are then maybe you can help me find the light within the darkness. So that I...can remember who I am."


	3. A Reason To Exist

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh or Kingdom Hearts; this is purely fan-made.

**Note: **I posted the trailer based on the first chapter of this on my Youtube account, be sure to check out the link on my profile and let me know what you think!

Chapter 3: A Reason To Exist~

_Here is where I was _'born,'

_And here is where I will again come to '_be.'

_Together with you we'll find out what truly makes up each of us._

_This heart, once broken, will be reborn..._

_And the Key, reforged._

_So let us bring together all the pieces_

_Of what once connected me to you._

* * *

_It's funny how your heart knows how to say certain things-things that you would normally say-even when you've forgotten how you used to be. That's what it felt like when I said that to them, about how I could sense that Yuri was another _'Key'_ like I was. Although what I didn't know was that there was actually more than one of them in the room. I just didn't notice at first because theirs didn't resonate with me as deeply as Yuri's did. _

_Not that any of it mattered, because in the end none of them were like me, not even Yuri. _

_Because not too long after that, I learned that Yuri wasn't the same kind of _'Key' _at all; someone who could also wield the Keyblade. And when I realized there was nothing between me and him that connected us, I felt lost again. I only asked for Yuri's help because he felt like someone I was so sure that I knew; someone familiar. Someone I could trust in this strange world that needed me as much as I needed him. But it was all in vain. And the moment the truth struck me, my first inkling of real emotion, of hope, disappeared in an instant once I realized- _

_They didn't need me. _

_We were strangers who just so happened to meet as the legions of darkness threatened to invade their world like they had with the world from my memory. Nevertheless, by meeting we had already made a real connection to one another that was not so easily broken. And whether they knew it already or not, I was the only person capable of stopping the Heartless from doing the same thing to this world and they _did_ need me. It's just that none of us were aware of the true power still hidden away somewhere deep inside of me, but, there _was_ a certain someone who was starting to see just how useful me-and my Keyblade-could really be._

* * *

"Well, this has certainly been an interesting development," Saralegui chuckled lightly as he thought back on what happened in the field _and_ in the bedroom just now while making the final preparations for Yuri's escape before Big Shimaron showed up at his doorstep again. "Yet another Double Black has come into our world with something very special to offer. I'm almost starting to wonder if they're all like that and _that's_ what originally gave rise to all the myths about their kind throughout history."

"Your Highness," Berias commented, carefully glancing over at his King, "What do you intend to do now that your plan has failed?"

Saralegui looked up at him and raised an eyebrow, "Failed? Oh I wouldn't say that. If anything, my point still came across and I've become closer friends with Yuri, which was the whole idea behind what I did. Also," he smiled knowingly, "I'm sure that it's a relief to you that the arrow never actually hit its mark. And regardless of what transpired, you did a fine job and I am very pleased with it despite the unexpected outcome. Although I would have liked to see Yuri's power firsthand, at least that Heartless-a Darkside I believe it was called-deigned to do the job of laying waste to Ranjeel's army for me. Then that girl quickly took care of it before it could round on us next once that coward ran off with his tail between his legs."

Berias nodded and turned to face Saralegui full on as he asked, "Do you think she was telling the truth? That her memories only start from the moment she saved both of you from the Heartless when it first appeared?"

Saralegui shrugged his shoulders slightly, "Who can really say for certain? But then again, from where I stood she seemed quite sincere, or better yet, she did not appear to have the capacity of lying. Not in the state that she's in right now, hardly able to feel much of anything. What I am _more_ interested in is that mysterious Keyblade of hers and what it can do, although it's a shame that no one else can wield it since it apparently _'chooses its master' _based on their strength of though how a weapon can _choose_ anything but who cares?" With a sinister glint in his eyes that would have sent chills up my spine if I knew what he was thinking, Saralegui smiled ever so slightly as he said, "Either way she could prove quite useful..."

* * *

I could tell that they were having a hard time deciding what to do with me after I told them about how I couldn't remember anything and that I could sense the _Keys'_ inside of Yuri, Conrad, and Wolfram now too now that I was looking hard enough for them. As for Saralegui-or Sara as he insisted I start calling him-he was off somewhere else in the castle dealing with our other problem, Big Shimaron.

Meanwhile I also had a very important choice to make that would likely decide my future.

But unfortunately at that point, I didn't really care anymore what happened to me; not after realizing that I was only projecting my desire to be needed by someone onto Yuri because he just so happened to be attacked by the Heartless when we first met. I just wanted to hold fast to whatever light I could find to fill the void inside of me, sheltering it close to my heart like holding a bird between my fingers that was as small and brittle as glass. Always afraid that it would fly far from me and fade into the distance if I didn't hold it close to me, holding it gently, but not wanting to let it go because I was terrified of remaining devoid of any light of my own...

Because I knew that if there really was next to nothing left inside of me now, eventually darkness would start to gather from the dark corners of my heart and slowly consume it. And then those few precious shards of my memory that I had regained thanks to being exposed to Yuri's light would all sink back into the darkness forever and I-like so many others-would lose my way once again and disappear or worse, become a Heartless myself. All because there was nothing and no one left to remember the real _me_ anymore.

They were all talked among themselves about this whole situation we were in for quite awhile, mostly about things that I couldn't understand because everything was still so new to me, and that's when Conrad separated from the group and walked over to me. Apparently, he was worried because I was being so quiet as I continued to lean against the window frame, staring blankly outside into the night.

"Is everything alright?" Conrad asked me, smiling warmly in the same fatherly manner I saw him use before with Yuri. "You've been very quiet this whole time, is there something on your mind?"

I didn't answer him, because there was really nothing else for me to say. I told them everything I knew, and what little I remembered. But at least now it seemed like they were finally starting to believe me even if they didn't really understand what it all meant yet. And that would have been a huge relief, but, now that I knew I was wrong about what I felt from Yuri, I had lost the will to care about anything anymore because of the cruel truth that had been thrust before my eyes...

It hurt too much to care.

He waited patiently for my answer and finally, I looked at Conrad and replied, "It was...unfair of me to place so much hope on King Yuri based on a connection that never existed between us. And you already told me that the _'Keys'_ I sensed inside of each of you are not Keyblades. So I am...alone again."

"That's not true," Conrad told me seriously, "Even though you were wrong you still have us and if we can help you, I'm sure that we will. Because regardless of the reason, you saved His Majesty's life and just like King Saralegui said we are indebted to you for that."

I tilted my head in confusion and asked him, "Why?"

"Why what?" Conrad blinked.

"Why do you care so much about what happens to me...? You don't even know me. _I_ don't even know me," I said, turning back to stare out the window. "My existence here is...meaningless if there's no one who needs me, who _knows_ me. And if no one needs me, maybe I should have just disappeared along with everything else. Maybe then, my heart wouldn't ache so much when I see him. Your King-" I glanced over at Yuri through the corner of my eye and continued, "-his heart shines too brightly, and it...darkens me the longer I stand in his presence now that I know nothing connects us, and it never did. I was only chasing the illusion of something that was never there to begin with. I just...wanted something to give me purpose again, nothing more. I had to...have a reason to keep fighting forward. Now, even that is gone."

Conrad was about to argue that I was wrong about not being needed when I straightened up and announced to everyone that I needed some air and walked out of the room without so much as a second glance at any of them. However, although I had not noticed it fall, a single tear streaked down my face just as the door closed behind me and they definitely noticed that. The _'hurt'_ I was feeling had manifested without me noticing it at all since I was numb to almost everything. Proof that some part of me was starting to remember _how_ to feel anything. It was a slow process, but at least I was becoming a little more like my old self again. Whoever that was...

After I left them I found my way outside to the garden and knelt in front of one of the flowerbeds, gently stroking the edge of the petals of one the various flowers now bathed in the soft steady glow of moonlight instead of the unrelenting blaze of sunlight. It reminded me of my time trapped in the Realm of Darkness, of how dark and silent it always was when I wasn't being stalked by the Heartless and I jerked back from the memory. Turning around and sliding to the ground, I sighed deeply and hugged my knees, unaware that Sara was watching me the whole time and recalled a bitter-sweet memory of his own from his early childhood when he saw where I was. Because the flowerbed I was in front of was the same one where he first met Berias, the only person in his life who ever really acknowledged him and that was able to take the edge off of his loneliness.

And for the first time since we met, Sara actually looked at me and saw me as a real person instead of a means to an end the moment he saw the same loneliness behind my dark eyes that he had once known each and every time he looked in a mirror as a child. He knew then that my amnesia wasn't a lie. I honestly had nothing left to remember, to feel, and it filled me with despair knowing that the familiarity I felt from Yuri was all a lie. It was nothing more than me sensing a four-thousand-year-old relic from a dark age in their world inside of him and the other two that had no connection to me or the Keyblade. And now Sara could see how lost I honestly felt and he genuinely felt pity for me as he strode over and offered me his hand.

"You'll catch a cold if you stay out here," Sara said softly to me, almost as quiet as a whisper. "Come on, let's go back inside."

Startled by the sound of his voice in front of me suddenly breaking the silence, I looked up at him sharply. Unaware of the hot tears now falling freely down my cheeks as I argued, "But...the darkness is the only thing left that's familiar to me now. And I thought that...maybe if I stay out here long enough, the Heartless will come and put an end to me and I can return to the darkness. Because I...I don't belong here. I don't belong...anywhere."

Smiling warmly, Sara withdrew his hand and offered, "Would you like to?"

"What?" I blinked, looking at him in astonishment.

"Would you like somewhere to belong? Because we can give that to you if that is what you want, all you have to do is ask and Yuri and I will make sure it happens," Sara promised me, offering me his hand once more. "I won't make you choose which one of us to go with, but, just know that I will be there for you regardless of what you choose to do. You and Yuri. Because like he always says, we're all friends here aren't we?"

"Friends..." I repeated softly, finding myself smiling at the sound of the word as I reached up to accept his hand and nodded. "Yes, of course we're friends. And I...don't need a _'purpose' _to help my friends. I should do it because I want to. Thank you, Sara."

* * *

After that, I returned to the room with Sara and Berias and after he explained their plans to get Yuri and the rest of them onto the ship before sunrise, I told them all exactly how I felt. About how I still felt unsure of myself, but both Sara and Conrad helped me realize that it was ok for me to ask for their help because they were my friends and wanted to help in any way they could to repay me for saving Yuri, who was very precious to all of them.

Because I had saved both Yuri and Sara's life, they only wanted to return the favor which was why they explained my error in the first place. They just didn't want to give me any false hope so Yuri and the others told me a little bit about their history regarding the Keys I sensed inside of them. So now I understood that it wasn't that they were trying to say I wasn't needed, they were only trying to figure out how they could help me recover from my amnesia by letting me know what the truth was instead of making my own assumptions only to realize my mistake later on and get all depressed like I was earlier.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me!" Yuri suddenly exclaimed, making me jump slightly, "We should give you a name!"

"Huh?" I blinked, gawking at him like Yuri was a crazy person, "But I already have a name."

Scratching the back of his head nervously, Yuri continued shyly, "Yeah well, you still don't remember it right? And it'd be weird just to say _'hey you'_ all the time so why don't we give you another name at least until you remember your real one?"

"Yuri! Don't be ridiculous!" Wolfram complained, "You can't just go around naming people like that!"

Yuri blinked, "Why not? It's not like we know her real name yet either. And if she can't remember it what are we _supposed _to call her?"

Wolfram flinched and reluctantly admitted, "Well, I guess you do have a point there."

"Then its settled!" Gunter said gleefully, "We shall pick out a fine name befitting her splendor as the first new Double Black we've seen since first meeting His Highness and His Eminence. Oh, I still can't believe I have lived to be so lucky to have known so many of them in just one lifetime!"

Confused, I looked to Conrad for an explanation and he laughed, "Don't worry about him. Gunter is just beside himself with joy about having met another person who is also a Double Black, which basically means in our world that you ranked equal to or close to royalty because of the Great Wiseman who fought against the Originators four thousand years ago. And also because having black hair and eyes is such a rarity in our world to begin with."

"The Great Wiseman..." I whispered, suddenly remembering what they told me before about him and glancing at Murata in confusion, "So, has that title been...passed down to Ken Murata because he is a descendent or something?"

Murata chuckled and adjusted his glasses as he replied, "You could say that. But anyway, weren't we choosing a name for her?"

Grinning mischievously, Yuri elbowed him and snickered, "Smooth move there, changing the subject like that. I guess you're right though."

Wolfram sighed and turned to Murata and asked bluntly, "Do we _really_ have time for this?"

"Not much, but there's still time and it is kind of important to have something to call her if we're going to be together for awhile," Murata nodded, "So how about it? Would you like us to pick out a name for you or do you already have an idea of what to call yourself?"

I shook my head and replied, "No, nothing really comes to mind."

"Right then!" Yuri grinned, "I already got a cool name picked out and I think you'll like it a lot. Ready?"

Not knowing what to expect, I nodded, "I guess so..."

Then, being adorably dramatic, Yuri took a deep breath before announcing the name-"Trinity"

"Wow, that's actually a very pretty name..." I smiled unsurely, turning to Sara beside me, "What do you think of it?"

In return, Sara smiled at me too and agreed, "As expected of Yuri, he picked out a wonderful name. And I presume that it is meant to represent the three of us correct?" he winked at Yuri, "After all, the first people she met in this world were you and me so the three of us together make a _'trinity.' _Am I right?"

Yuri laughed with a wide grin, "Yeah, you caught me. And it just sort of felt right so that's what I picked," but then Yuri added hastily, "Uh but, if you don't like it though we can come up with another one. Yosak and Gunter both had a pretty good one too so-"

"No," I shook my head vigorously and gave him a small hug before backing away, "I love it. Thank you Yuri..."

He blushed and looked down at his feet shyly, "Aw it's nothing really..."

"Well, now that that's out of the way," Conrad said pointedly before Wolfram could start going off on Yuri again for being a flirt. "I think it's about time we left. We've already stayed here too long as it is and I know that this was something important that we had to take care of first but-" then, looking very serious he walked over and took me by the shoulder as he explained, "Now I know there is still a lot you don't understand yet, but if it's alright we would like for you to come with us. For one, it will be much safer for you and we can protect you better in the Great Demon Kingdom since you're a Double Black, and secondly, because you _are_ a Double Black would most likely cause a lot more problems for King Saralegui if you stayed. They're already accusing him of disloyalty to his mother country because King Saralegui was associating with us in the first place so if they found out about you then it could spark a War between Big Shimaron and Small Shimaron. And now we also have the Heartless to consider as a threat as well and we would very much appreciate your assistance getting rid of them since your Keyblade is the most effective against these monsters. Of course, in the end it's up to you but you have to make that choice now."

"So if I stay here with Sara, I risk causing an entire War...?" I asked, folding my hands over my heart before smiling sadly, "The truth is, Conrad, as much as I would like to go with you and Yuri, I think it would be better for everyone if I took my own path from here to find the truth for myself. Especially since someone in this world must have opened the Door to Darkness and that's how the Heartless were able to enter this world when I followed them here. And until I find out who and close it...their evil will continue to spread to all corners of this world. Once that happens, not even your Kingdom will be safe. And if I have to fight them with the Keyblade, then I can't rely on anyone else's light to save me. I have to...find my own strength again or none of it will matter."

Unexpectedly, Yosak was the one who spoke up next and reasoned, "That's noble and all young lady but do you even know where to start?"

Blinking, I replied, "Well, no but-"

"Then why don't you just come with us? At least until you figure a few things out and get enough of your strength back," Murata added with a kind expression on his face, "It's better than just wandering around like you were before right? And it's not like you have to stay with us the whole time. We're only asking because you seem to know a bit more about what's going on with those monsters then we do and we could really help each other out more if you came to the Great Demon Kingdom. At least there it would be easier to get around and you wouldn't have to hide all the time like you would if you stayed here in human lands."

"I fully agree with His Eminence," Gunter commented with a slight nod and a smile. "Also, while you may not be able to recall much of your past, what you _do_ seem to remember appears to be very important in regards to what is happening now. And I for one think it would benefit us both to help you remember more about it as well."

After seeing all of the warm welcoming expression on each of their faces-well except for Wolfram who was being all indignant about the whole thing-I shook my head and laughed, "You're not giving me much of a choice are you? Alright, you win, I'll go with you."

Turning around to face Sara, I suddenly felt the urge to hug him too and so without hesitation, I lifted my arms and slowly wrapped them around his neck, whispering in his ear, "Goodbye Sara. I'm sure we'll meet again soon but until then, please don't forget what you told me because it helped me more then you know. And I didn't tell you this before but, back then I felt like I didn't want to lose you either, Sara, because you're someone important too," withdrawing my arms from around him, I turned to the others and nodded as I said confidently, "Alright, let's go."


	4. The Third Threat

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh or Kingdom Hearts; this is purely fan-made.

Chapter 4: The Third Threat~

_"In this realm, where all existence has been disintegrated, I have just barely managed to preserve my sense of self by continuing to think and to write. It is a place where even time has lost all meaning. Eternity is as but a moment here…" ~ Secret Ansem's Report 5_

* * *

_I never thought that leaving Sara behind would make me feel so uneasy, but it did, and I had no idea why. Although maybe it was just like with Yuri, I made a strong connection with him and it made me reluctant to let him go. That might have been it. Then again, I suddenly felt like something was very wrong and now I wish I had had a little more time to get to know him. Or better yet, that I could have stayed by his side because it was Sara-not Yuri-who really needed me the most right now. _

_I could have warned him of the shadow I sense lurking in his heart, ever deepening. A shadow that could someday call the Heartless to him and he would fall as I once did into darkness and be lost. Because little did we know it, but both of their lives had in one way or another been shaped for this very day. The day that this world would be opened and they would realize that they were a part of something much bigger than themselves, we all were, and I was about to be the first to find out a small part of my role in it was..._

* * *

"I'm really sorry that I have leave like this so soon..." I commented to Sara as he and Berias walked all of us to the door. "I wish there was another way but they're right, I would only create more problems for you on top of everything else and I really have no idea where to start looking for answers about why I ended up here of all places. It's too bad we couldn't have spent more time together though, Sara. I feel like we were only just starting to get to know each other."

Sara smiled reassuringly to me and said, "It's alright, there's nothing to be done about it now. Besides, I promised to support you no matter what you chose to do didn't I? And for your sake as well as Yuri's I think this is the best course of action for us to take. Not to mention there are a lot of things I'll have to take care of before its safe for either of you to come back here again. But I will do my utmost best to see to it that you can come back here one day."

I nodded with a soft smile of my own, "I'm sure you will."

"I have a question for you Trinity," Murata suddenly asked me out of nowhere.

And it took me a moment before I remembered that the name he just used was the one they were calling me now and I glanced over at him. "Hmm? What is it?"

"It's about what you mentioned before about someone opening the _'Door to Darkness,'_"he continued, "Can you tell us anything else about it? Like where it actually is?"

I shook my head and looked away from him as we kept walking, "No, not really. All I remember is something about it basically leading to the other side of the world, or its dark-side to put it simply..." I hugged myself as a chill ran up my spine just thinking about it. "And...if someone stays there too long, eventually their hearts and minds will start to erode and they'll turn into a Heartless themselves. Who knows, maybe that's what almost happened to me. I was on the verge of losing myself completely when I saw Yuri's light shining in the distance far beyond the other side of the darkness that I passed through to get here. It led me out of the darkness after I had lost all hope of returning to the outside world and completely forgot who I was or how to feel much of anything. I think I was...trapped in it for so long that the day finally came that even the Keyblade wasn't enough keep me safe from it anymore. That's all I really know for sure."

"Why me though?" Yuri asked honestly, crossing his arms as we walked down the stairs to the foyer below. "It's not like I actually _did_ anything special. Although, I think I kind of understand what you mean about being rescued by the light from inside of other people."

Curious about what Yuri meant. I turned around and asked, "Really? Why's that?"

Then Yuri smiled down at me and paused for a moment as he placed a hand over his heart before explaining, "Back when we were fighting the Originators, I was lost in the darkness for awhile too, unable to find my way out. Not the same kind as you were but still-I almost gave up on everything too, but then, I heard a voice and saw a light shining in the distance just like you did. It was coming from someone very important to all of us that showed me the true meaning of courage which helped me stop them once and for all. Because the funny thing is, in the end, my power as the Demon King didn't amount to anything when we went up against them. It was the light inside of each and every one of us coming together striving for a better future-the light inside of the hearts of all the people that I've made friends with that have stood beside me and supported me-that gave me the strength I needed to break through and conquer the darkness that had invaded my body. So if for whatever reason I was able to be that for you, then I'm glad I was able to help you."

I smiled up at him a little sadly before averting my gaze, "You know, you're lucky to know so many people like that, people you're still connected with even after it was all over. I can't even remember a single face, or the names of any the people I once cared about. And I honestly wonder if I'll ever start to remember them...like that boy I told you about who was holding my hand when I was first pulled into the darkness, the one that tried to save me. What could have happened to him after that? Did he become a Heartless? Who was he? I have no idea."

"I'm sure it'll all come back in no time," Yosak assured me, giving me a gentle nudge on the shoulder as he passed and a wide grin. "All you have to do is believe in yourself and follow your heart, because your heart will now what to do when it counts the most like it did when you gallantly rescued His Highness from that giant Heartless. After all, you didn't need memories to act back then did you? You just jumped right in and kicked some serious butt."

"I guess so..." I shrugged just as we continued down the stairs and reached the doors where a pair of soldiers moved to open them for us and we took our first steps outside to get to the carriage Sara had graciously prepared for us.

It was still pretty dark out, but the undeniable scent of early morning dew hung in the air and we could already hear the soft thrum of birdsong in the distance. And although I had already seen it once before the day I saved them in that field, I couldn't wait to see the sun again and relish in its warmth. For too long I had lived in a world without the sunlight or safety so I very much looked forward to seeing my first dawn in what could have been years. If it was actually possible to measure time in the Realm of Darkness, which it wasn't.

With a heavy sigh, I stopped to let Yuri and the others all walk past me and said aloud, "I guess...I won't see Sara or this castle again for a long time. But someday, I'll be able to come back to this place again. I'm sure of it."

With a self-assured nod, I turned around to get one last look at it and commit it to memory, but the moment I turned and saw it my heart suddenly lurched painfully in my chest as the castle before me blurred and transformed into a different castle entirely; one with many twisted spires extended from its base in all directions that stood suspended above a small portion of land where the rest of it fell away into an endless void, into oblivion.

It was so sudden, and the fractured memory I was seeing right now of that castle struck me with such force that I fell to my knees, clutching my head tightly. Feeling as if it-and my heart-were about to burst at the seams as more flashes of memory cut into me and sought to free themselves from the shadows of my heart where they lay still until something triggered them and grazed my mind with such fervent force that it exposed the wounds inside of me. The ones that were still trying so hard to mend and make me whole once more...

"Trinity!" Yuri cried, rushing over to me kneeling down beside me, "Hey! What's wrong?"

"My head...it hurts so much-" I winced, looking up at him and gripping his shoulder with one hand as I said, "-but Yuri, I can see it. T-there was...another castle. That castle was where I-the place where my memories were...! Ah!" my head started to throb painfully again and I gasped sharply, burying myself in his shirt as if he could somehow shield me from the pain, "Yuri, I can't...please make it stop. There's so much..."

After turning around to see what was going on, Wolfram was about to accuse Yuri of his usual flirting when suddenly he looked up from us and dashed forward as he drew his sword as shouted, "You! Where did you come from?!"

For when I turned to glance over my shoulder, there, standing behind Yuri and me, was figure clad in the exact same black coat as me...

He appeared there out of nowhere, silent as a shadow without any of us noticing him at first since it was so dark outside. Not even me or those who could usually sense the presence of an enemy long before they actually appeared. But, it was like there was nothing there to sense. If we weren't actually looking straight at him, it would have almost seemed like there was no one there at all.

Noticing the stranger too, Berias and the others also drew their swords and hurried over and positioned themselves between him, Yuri, and me, as well as Sara and Murata who stayed behind us. However, the cloaked figure ignored them completely and looked down to face me directly with the hint of a knowing smile tugging at his lips as he spoke to us.

"Trinity is it? Is that what you call yourself now? Have already abandoned everything you once were? Or...was it stolen from you?" he asked calmly, gesturing at my heart with one finger, "Although, the fact that you can still wield a Keyblade proves differently doesn't it? One cannot wield a Keyblade without a heart from which to gather its strength. So even as broken as you are there must still be at least enough left of you to make it possible to manifest. Although, given your current condition and the way you are so desperately trying to hold together the remnants of your fractured being by clinging to someone elses light, it must mean that you are indeed just as incomplete as we are...and seeking to be made whole. "

"Who are you?" Berias demanded harshly, both of his swords drawn and gleaming dangerously in the last traces of moonlight. "Speak your name."

The man merely inclined his head at Berias and chuckled lightly as he curtly replied, "I am no one of consequence I assure you. Now this one on the other hand-" his gaze turned back to me and he said, "-as destitute as she now is of the light she once knew to be hers, this girl has already brought together many of those who will ultimately help to once again decide the fate of this nameless world. But, it would seem that someone in this land has carelessly opened it to the darkness and allowed the Heartless to enter it freely. And I thought that perhaps it would greatly benefit both of us to know whom. Especially you...Trinity. After all, they're also the ones who summoned you here after they discovered the special ability you have yet to realize is in plain sight. A hidden power that could prove quite useful in your fight against the Heartless, or to them for their own objectives."

My eyes widened in shock and I asked him seriously, "What are you saying? Do you...know something about me...?"

Ignoring my questions, the hooded figure slowly raised his arms up over his head and said, "It was only a matter of time before someone like you found their way here to this rather _'unique'_ world. A world so cut off from the rest that its perception of time ebbs and flows either as slow and steady as a stream or as quick and rampant as a raging storm. So, who could honestly say how long you have been trapped in between its darkness and the original world from whence you came? A day? A year? A lifetime? And...who can say for certain that the name you have lost is the only one you ever had? Or, that you _really_ never met King Yuri, the one who is two and has now become the seventh? For did he not also once bear another name...?"

Before we could ask what in the world he meant by all that, some sort of a dark portal appeared behind him and he simply took a step back from us and disappeared as silently as he first came. Leaving us all stunned and still searching for answers. Where did he come from? What did he know about me? And more importantly, why did he single out Yuri just now...?

* * *

"Great, more mysteries..." Wolfram grumbled once we finally made it safely to the ship in on piece despite the unexpected delay and he reluctantly helped me up the ramp since I was still feeling dizzy and was unsteady on my feet. Sara and Berias had already returned to the castle to make sure that their security was more secure against not only the Heartless, but now also from other uninvited guests.

"I know. I'm sorry, Wolfram," I apologized as we finally reached the top step and he let go. "I don't like this any more than you do. I don't even know half of what he meant by all that, only that he seems to know something about me."

With a sigh, Wolfram surprised me by saying, "It's not your fault you don't know anything about what's going on. You can't remember anything. Besides, we don't even know if he was telling the truth about any of it. Everything he said to us about you and Yuri might have just been a trick to make you _think_ he knows something and then he'll try to deceive you into remembering something that never actually happened. That's what His Eminence thinks anyway. He thinks that maybe what really happened to you is that someone _did_ steal your memories and then they planted the idea in your mind that you knew Yuri so that you would try and find him even without your memories. That's what some people use as a typical brainwashing strategy for making assassins out of innocent people..."

Confused and troubled by Murata's observation, I stared back into Wolfram's emerald eyes-searching for their honesty-and asked him, "Wait, Murata he...really thinks that someone would do that to me just to get close to Yuri even after all this? After everything I told you? Why would he think that, let alone say it behind my back?"

Suddenly looking very uncomfortable when he realized that he said too much, Wolfram was about to answer me when-

"Come on you guys, hurry up! We better get Trinity inside so she can get some sleep on the way back home while she has the chance," Yuri called, waving us over before ducking inside with Gunter, Murata, Conrad and Yosak.

Wolfram was about to follow after the suite but I grabbed his arm and said, "Look, I know that you don't like me because I'm so drawn to Yuri. But please understand, I'm...really scared right now and he's the only person who makes me feel safe. If you were in my position, where you had nothing left to comfort you like memories in the night when you're feeling lonely, wouldn't you feel the same way?"

"That's not why I told you," Wolfram said, shaking my arm off, "It doesn't matter if you're telling the truth or if this is some kind of plot to get you close to Yuri. The fact is that you were brought here for a reason and we need to find out what it is. And I promise that we'll find the truth, and then you can go back to where you came from right? Isn't that what you want? To go home?"

Feeling like there was another meaning behind what Wolfram said just now-a sense of jealousy that under-laced his words-I suddenly pushed him aside and spat harshly because his words hurt so much, "Wolfram, if you really don't want me here that much then why don't you just say it to my face instead of hiding behind someone elses words? Don't you get it yet? There's no _home_ for me to go back to, only darkness. And you know what? Right now I'm feeling right at home because of the darkness you're giving off with your hateful words and if you keep letting those kinds of feelings fester then you'll lose everything you care about just like I did."


	5. A Resolute Heart

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh or Kingdom Hearts; this is purely fan-made.

**Note: **So lately, I've been getting requests to update my story _'Begotten Hearts'_ which is also a KH and KKM crossover, but for whatever reason I can't quite get into the mood to go back and read the whole thing right now so I can write a new chapter. With that said, I plan to request a beta-reader to help me brainstorm with that story at some point and maybe find someone to help me a bit with this one too since I can't decide if I want Trinity to actually be a Nobody or just someone who has had their heart destroyed that is trying to build a new one out of the pieces she still has left of it. Oh, and before I forget, I can't really compose music (sadly) but I wrote the lyrics to the song you'll see in the beginning of this chapter and even though I don't have an actual melody to it I imagine it sounding a lot like the other two Kingdom Hearts theme songs _'Simple and Clean'_ and _'Sanctuary'_ by Utada Hikaru. Also, the last verse I picture as a duet so that's why it's repeating the words twice. I hope you like it! And if you dare steal it I will send my legion of Heartless to your door! LOL! So without further ado, please enjoy the new chapter!

Chapter 5: A Resolute Heart~

_(Original Song: Dream of Me by TheKeybladeForger)_

_Verse 1:_

_This is me and this is you_

_We are like the earth and stars when they collide_

_Lights streaking the sky, making wishes._

_A wish to be with you and hold your hand again._

_So please, oh baby-_

_Chorus:_

_This time dream of me_

(This time dream of me)

_I want to be your everything._

_Even when you think that I am nothing to you now_

_You made me who I am today_

_And I will still hold you together when you fall apart…_

_Verse 2:_

_These pieces of me are crumbling, crumbling down…_

_Silently they fall without a sound._

_No more laughter, no more tears._

_It's just me, coming down to where you are._

_Dreaming, yes dreaming, of the regret of leaving everything behind._

_So please, oh baby-_

_Chorus 2:_

_This time dream of me_

(This time dream of me)

_I want to hold you close and tell you everything._

_Even when you think that I am no longer with you_

_Here I am_

_Just like when we were younger, when nothing could keep us apart…_

_Verse 3:_

_I was lost but now I'm found again_

_Unwanted, but as unwavering as the promise of a sunrise._

_Here I am again, walking this road so I can find you,_

_The lost friend I'm close to finding that I know will surely keep his promise;_

_The promise of remembering me,_

_And all the things I used to be even after I'm long gone._

_So please, oh baby-_

_Chorus 3:_

_This time dream of me_

(This time dream of me)

_I want to fight for the tomorrow you said would come_

_When a new day will be dawning as the night falls away._

_So please, just promise me one thing_

_That when my tears are done shedding,_

_And the fight is won, that we'll see that sunrise_

_Together._

_Chorus Final:_

_Take my hand_

(Take my hand)

_And we'll go_

_(And we'll go)_

_To a place we've been before_

(To a place we've been before)

_Where nothing seems broken_

(Where nothing seems broken)

_And all these pieces make a whole_

(And all these pieces make a whole)

_Where you and I will still be standing_

(Where you and I will still be standing)

_Underneath the same sky…where we made this wish_

(Underneath the same sky…where we made this wish)

* * *

_Soon after we left, as expected Ranjeel did send messengers to Sara's castle. And a man by the name of Janis also accompanied them not only to find out more about him, but about _me_..._

_Because from what Janis had heard about me so far from one of his spies, after they were forced to retreat I managed to successfully slay the Darkside alone with only my Keyblade when not a single one of soldiers Ranjeel sent to fight against it were able to so much as scratch it. Such was the power of the Keyblade, a power I had called forth with the desire to protect and there was no power in this world stronger than that. Not that Janis knew about anything about it yet. That the power he was looking for and the one I possessed might not be the kind they needed to revive that special sword of theirs, the Divine Sword, which possessed a special power of its own._

_Apart from that though Janis didn't know about anything else that happened to us after that. Including the surprise visitor we had just before we left Sara's castle to board the ship. Therefore I was just as much a mystery to them now as I was when they first saw me._

_In fact, the same was true for me too._

_I didn't know all that much about myself either, nothing I could trust completely anyway because unfortunately I guess Murata _did_ have a point. I wanted to remember who I was so badly that it was possible that without realizing it I started to recall events that never actually happened just to make it _seem_ like I was remembering things on my own...but I wasn't._

_Still, at least I could feel more emotion now then I could when I first came here-not that all of them were pleasant. I could feel confusion, hurt, tenderness towards someone, and maybe even a little bit of happiness. However, I was still nowhere close to being the same person I was, that would take more time and I would need to remember my true memories for myself and not rely on what anyone else said but trust my heart just like Yosak suggested._

_With all that in mind maybe I shouldn't trust _everything_ that man told us or even my memory of that castle just yet. Then again, what better way was there to hide the truth in plain sight then to actually tell someone, knowing that everyone would think it's a lie? It was pretty clever actually, in a sinister sort of way..._

_And that's how I decided to at least keep what he said in mind just in case we were able to confirm any of it as the truth; especially since we still didn't have any leads on our own to go on anyway except that strange castle I saw before. But that castle...was it in the Realm of Darkness or somewhere here on this side of the world in the Realm of Light? Or was it really like that guy said and existed somewhere in between the two? Like in the strange empty space I was wandering before I eventually made it out here where Yuri and the others all were...?_

* * *

"Wolfram, I really think that you shouldn't have told her about what His Eminence said," Conrad frowned, looking very displeased with his younger brother after he saw what Wolfram did to me earlier and I locked myself in the room they'd given me, refusing to speak to anyone. "It was only a theory and you clearly hurt her feelings by saying that it was otherwise. She's trying not to admit it, but I can tell just how frightened Trinity is about not being able to remember anything, including her own name. I know you have the tendency to be very blunt about your distrust of others but even I think you were way out of line just now."

Wolfram flinched when Conrad gave him another pointed stare and finally, he just shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Alright already, I'll apologize as soon as we get home. That still doesn't mean I'm ready to trust her yet even though she did save Yuri's life. There's still too much we don't know and it would be reckless to-"

"Reckless? But aren't you one of the kings of recklessness alongside His Highness Wolfram?" Yosak commented slyly as he quietly approached them.

Turning to face him, Conrad asked, "How is she?"

"Locked up in her room still I'm afraid," Yosak shrugged, "Not that I blame her for it after the way we've been treating her so far. Doesn't feel like she belongs anywhere and the one connection that the young lady _thought_ she had with King Yuri turned out to be just her imagination. And to be honest, if it wasn't for the fact that she's a Double Black I would have just let her go off on her own like she wanted to in the first place so she could figure things out on her own. As it stands though, the young lady _is_ a Double Black and that will make her a target to others just like that Keyblade supposedly makes her for the Heartless, so she's better off coming with us for now. Not that we gave her much of a choice either way which kinda makes me feel like the bad guy here too..."

"Yosak," Conrad half-smiled and joked, "I've known you for a long time now but you seemed to have warmed up to Trinity rather quickly. Are you developing a crush on her too like Gunter because she's our first female Double Black that we've ever met and such a skilled fighter? I would have never guessed."

Yosak laughed and grinned, "Pfft as if! I'll give it to her that she is a gifted uh...swordsman since I don't know what else to call it; however, I'm still as much of a lone ranger as ever. It's just that I see a lot of similarities between her and the young man. Like how they both are willing to take the first step forward when it comes to protecting someone even when they're strangers because that's what's in their hearts. Can't fault her for that."

"Whatever, I'm going to get some air," Wolfram suddenly announced and started to leave, "I'm starting to feel sick again."

"Uh oh," Yosak grimaced and dashed over to him. "I better go with you so you don't almost fall overboard again," glancing at Conrad he waved, "You coming Captain?"

Conrad nodded, "Yes, I'll be right out. But first I think I'll check on His Highness too while I'm down here."

"Sounds like a plan," Yosak nodded, turning to follow Wolfram out the door when he suddenly paused and added, "By the way-"

"Hmm? What is it?" Conrad blinked, surprised by how serious his friend was suddenly acting.

"It's about what that hooded guy said before, about King Yuri having another name. Do you think he actually knows? About Julia's soul I mean?"

Conrad's eyes narrowed, "I'm not sure, however its worth looking into once we return to the castle. I also want to know what he meant about Yuri being _'the one who is two and has now become the seventh.' _I believe part of it might be referring to his Demon King form but the part about _'being the seventh'_ is still as much of a mystery as everything else we've seen so far. As well as what we've yet to learn about the truth regarding Trinity's lost memories. They must hold the key to this mystery, I'm almost certain of it."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Sara's castle, Ranjeel's messengers had arrived and now it was up to Sara to convince them of his innocence so that there wouldn't be a Civil War between their two countries because of Yuri. They didn't know about me yet though so that was a small blessing. Still, coming up with a story to explain my absence as well as Yuri's was going to be rather difficult. Or at least it would have been if it weren't for Sara's hidden _'talent'_ of persuasion...

"I believe you know why we have come here, King Saralegui," the first messenger stated once the three of them reached the threshold of his throne. Janis of course standing a ways back from the other two in order to ascertain Sara's true character from the sidelines.

"Tell us where the Demon King is currently located. As well as what happened to the girl we saw in black whom we have heard reports was seen being brought here to your castle and who single-handedly defeated the monster we faced. Who was she, and what does she have to do with the Demon King? Honestly, why would you even _think_ to ally yourself with the likes of _them_?" the other said distastefully.

"He came here to threaten me," Sara simply replied as-a-matter-of-factually.

"Threaten you?" one of them inquired.

"The Demon King tried to threaten me into betraying Big Shimaron and joining the Great Demon Kingdom Alliance. And that poor girl, she was tricked into serving him because of her memory loss..." Sara continued, his eyes quivering sadly, "I could not do anything to stop them from taking her with them even after I found out that not only is she from another world, but she also happens to be a Double Black. Although I can assure you that she was most certainly a human."

Their eyes widened in shock at the unexpected revelation about me but with a level stare one of the messengers raised their voice angrily, "Do you honestly expect us to believe that? Now where is she? And where has the Demon King gone?"

"It's true! That's why I invited the Demon King here. And I was hoping to delay him long enough to turn him over and save that girl once I realized who she really was and the power of the Keyblade she wields that is used to slay Heartless such as the one we saw before known as a Darkside. But..."

"Don't think you can fool us!" the second messenger snapped.

Unshaken by their harsh accusations, Sara slowly began to pull off his glasses and sighed, "This result must have been in accord to the Demon Kings plan," he removed them completely, "That Big Shimaron and Small Shimaron would be divided..." his eyes glowed that haunting blue, "You'll come to think the same, won't you?"

The messengers gasped as they felt that same blankness wash over them I felt when I first came to this world as his power slowly filled them and invaded their hearts and minds. Janis however, was unaffected by Sara's hypnosis and watched carefully as Sara forced his will upon the other two men as he said, "But that will not happen. My loyalty towards Big Shimaron and King Ranjeel will not change. I will rescue that girl from them and use her unique power to save us from the new threat that has arisen, the Heartless. This I swear," then Sara released them from his spell and leaned back in his throne as if to admire his handiwork.

They blinked in confusion for a moment before one of them turned to the other and said, "That's true, isn't it! Cursed Demon tribe, to engage in such foul play!"

His companion nodded, "We will tell King Ranjeel of your loyalty! We leave the fate of that poor girl to you."

"Please do so," Sara said. "I will do everything in my power to rescue her and discover the truth behind the Heartless as well."

Then they bowed to Sara briefly and all of them left. Except for Janis that is, who yet lingered behind. And as Sara looked up after he returned his glassed, he was surprised to see that this man hadn't been affected by his power and smirked, "It seems my power didn't touch you. A Esoteric user hmm? How about it? Will you join me? I'm sure I'll allow you much more use of your power then being under Ranjeel does." Sara offered.

Janis bowed his head, "This is a sudden invitation, but I cannot accept your offer."

Leaning forward slightly, Sara insisted, "Why? You surely aren't loyal to Big Shimaron. Your master isn't Ranjeel, is it?" Sara noted Janis's sudden discomfort and he smiled again before leaning back and relenting, "Well all right. It's a shame but I'll give up. Berias, please see him to the front doors."

"Yes sir," Berias replied.

After that, Janis bowed and said politely, "Please excuse me.""

As he followed the halls with Berias, Janis pondered to himself-_That girl, could she really be a Double Black like King Saralegui is suggesting? That would explain some of the power I sensed hidden inside of her but...that weapon, the Keyblade, I could have sworn I've heard of it somewhere before. Where could it have been I wonder...?_

As Berias and Janis walked along he looked up and commented, "So you are Sir Berias."

"Do you find that a problem?" Berias asked, glancing over his shoulder.

"No. I merely heard that Small Shimaron has the services of a great swordsman. Not merely skilled with the sword, but a master of all martial arts. For instance, yes...the bow."

Berias didn't have anything to say to what Janis was implying and so he didn't say anything and continued walking in silence. Though it was clear now that Janis knew Berias has something to do with the arrow aimed at Yuri. But then, while they were walking Janis happened to stop in front of King Gilbert's portrait-the portrait of Sara's father I believe-and observed, "This is? Is this the previous King, Gilbert?"

"Yes." Berias answered, glancing over his shoulder again.

"He doesn't look much like King Saralegui does he?" Janis pointed out. And again, Berias said nothing and simply finished his task as he escorted him out the doors like he had done earlier with us before the other hooded man appeared. He watched them go in silence before once again turning and closing the doors behind him, wondering how much Janis really knew or what he would do now with the information Sara had given them about me despite promising not to tell anyone and unaware of the danger he had not only put me in, but their entire world...

* * *

A lone figure stood before the very castle I had seen the vision of before looking up at its spires with a knowing gaze. Thinking back on the brief encounter he had with me, idly wondering if I recognized him at all when we met...

It had been far too long since he spared a thought about what he once meant to me when he was still human. But now he was nothing but an agent of the darkness who was charged with capturing me once enough of my memories had resurfaced and my powers returned.

The cloaked figure silently bent down and picked up a pile of sand, which sifted through his gloved fingers, and he chuckled, "This world is so fleeting. Oh how the mighty mountains fall as they are so easily worn away and reduced to nothing but sand swept away by the tide and seemingly abandoned by time itself just like that world. However, over time sometimes the worlds miraculously find a way to gather together the broken pieces again and return in order to build a new world from the old. Yet it still holds true how they are destroyed so easily, how pathetic."

Then he looked at the moon again and mused, "Can the same also be said of the heart that has been destroyed? Will it also be reshaped and molded into a new form? Or will it be washed away, forever, in the tides of darkness threatening to overwhelm it...? Let us hope that you find your light again soon, and remember the name that will awaken the rest of your memories before those so-called friends of yours turn you into someone else and you lose everything you were. Just like, you lost_ 'me'_..."


	6. Something Worth Protecting

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh or Kingdom Hearts; this is purely fan-made.

~Chapter 6: Something Worth Protecting~

_While I knew Murata was only thinking of my well-being when he was talking about being cautious when it came to dealing with my memory loss, in the end I didn't need their protection. I needed answers and-_

_I needed to leave._

_I didn't particularly care what others in this world would think of me because of what I looked like. All that mattered was that as long as I had the Keyblade, I could keep myself and everyone else safe. Surely the Keyblade would lead me to the place I needed to go to find the truth. And I was starting to think that my place really wasn't with Yuri and the others after all. I mean, I know they wanted answers too but it was for their own reasons. And one of those reasons was making sure Yuri didn't get himself mixed into something that could endanger his life again, like visiting Sara had already._

_As far as I was concerned, as a friend, Yuri had already done more than enough for me by bringing me along with them to get us both away from that Ranjeel guy and giving me a temporary name to help take the edge off of my fear of not remembering something as simple as that. Still, I knew that if I stayed with them any longer the void inside of me would only deepen each and every time I was reminded how much of an outsider I was and how close they were to each other. _

_Nothing they said would change that I didn't belong here nor change what I was feeling, this restlessness and malcontent ever since we met that man in the hood and he said all those things about me. Did he hold the answer? I hoped so; because once I left Yuri and the others behind, there would be no one there to catch me if I fell victim to my fractured memories again. Little did we know, however, that I was about to take hold of a new piece of it and instead of weakening me, it would give me new strength. Strength that I needed for what was to come..._

* * *

I don't know when exactly I fell asleep but all of a sudden my eyes snapped open when out of nowhere, I heard droned-out whistle of cannon fire flying through the air, and the ship lurched to the side as we were it by one. _Uh oh, it looks like Big Shimaron must have found us, _I thought, leaping out of bed and summoning my Keyblade as I rushed out of the room.

Just ahead of me, I could see Yuri chasing after Conrad who had gone to see what was happening. Of course, Conrad told Yuri to stay put but being the true _'king of recklessness'_ as Yosak put it, he followed him anyway. I almost laughed, seeing how blindly determined Yuri was. It almost reminded me of someone, that boy I was once close friends with, who was kind of similar.

Shaking my head, I dismissed such thoughts and was about to go after Yuri when a voice behind me said, "Even if you keep striving to protect them with what remains of your power, it will not change the fact that they do not trust you. You will never belong with them."

Whirling around I gasped, "You again, how did you-"

Putting a finger to his lips, the stranger simply replied, "Since you seem to be struggling more needlessly then you should I've brought something for you, a clue that will help you find what you seek. Although, you'll have to defeat me first if you want it."

Narrowing my gaze, I said coolly, "I don't have time for your games. They need me, and that will always come first before anything does for myself."

Then he paused for a moment, as if considering my words before relenting, "Well said. And I would expect nothing less from you-" but what he said next-my real name-was cut off and all I could see was his lips moving until his next words came out. "Then here, I will give this one to you for free as a reward for staying true to the _'self'_ you no longer remember."

Waving his hand in front of him, there was a flash of light and then something that looked like a card appeared and floated down to him. He took it gently, as if it would break if he grasped it too hard and looked at me from beneath the hood of his coat and said, "The last time we met, I dove into what remains of your memories and from them I made this card using the power of the castle you were shown in your vision. You've already tapped into them-the memory of your abilities-but this card will help you unlock one more of them that you will need if you are to protect your friends. If you _can_ call them your friends that is."

Throwing the card at me, I caught it and looked down to see what was so special about it when the ship lurched again and I fell forward with a startled cry. Reflexively, the other man caught me with ease and steadied me before sharply pulling away again. But, all I could so was stare because this moment between us, it felt like something like this had happened before. So was it possible? Did I...know him from somewhere? Was that the real reason why he was helping me?

"Wait, do I know-" I started to ask but then he vanished again into the shadows.

I would have stayed there to think a bit more carefully about what he just said but there was no time so I stuffed the card into my pocket and resumed my trip back outside to where Yuri had run off to. And finally I managed to get myself on deck just as a cannon broke the main mast and it began to fall towards Yuri. Horrified, I yelled, "STOP!"

Not that I expected that to actually do anything, but it did.

Suddenly, the card inside of my pocket started to shine brightly and as reflexively as the mysterious figure caught me before I fell, I pointed my Keyblade at the mast and shouted again, "Stopza!"

And we all watched in amazement as the mast slowed its decent on Yuri and stopped only inches away from crushing him. Not wanting to risk it, Conrad dove under the frozen mast and pushed them out of the way, expecting it to fall almost immediately after I stopped it. It didn't. In fact, the spell I cast froze time all around the ship. There was even a loose cannonball hanging in the air only a few feet from the water, not to mention there was a tower of water frozen in place where one had already hit. The rest of us however, weren't affected. Or at least I managed to only freeze time around the objects around us instead of the people so we could still fight if we had to.

Gasping as I fell a sudden wave of dizziness, I swooned as time suddenly unfroze around us the moment I lost the strength to maintain the spell.

"Yuri! Are you alright?" Conrad shouted, too preoccupied with his safety to worry about what I just did.

"Yes, I am, but...look, over there! It's Trinity!" Yuri pointed in my direction and yelled, "Hey, are you ok?!"

I tried to answer him but I couldn't move, my body had gone numb with the shock of using magic again for the first time and I couldn't see straight. Everything around me was a blur. And then, without warning my eyes rolled back and I collapsed with a dull thud and the card that had unlocked my ability to use magic slipped out of my pocket and continued to glow softly like a small fluttering heartbeat before it vanished completely. After he saw me faint, Yuri wanted to run over to me to check if I was alright but they had to focus on the problem at hand, Big Shimaron who was still fast approaching and getting ready to board our ship to capture us.

"Looks like they'll use whatever means necessary to take His Majesty prisoner," Yosak commented grimly as they stood at the ready, prepared for the fight they knew was coming.

In response to that, Conrad drew his sword while Murata lifted me upright and replaced my hood in hopes that if there was going to be a fight, they wouldn't find out who I was. Unaware of course that Sara had already disclosed my identity to them which was another reason they were attacking, they wanted to capture me too to test Sara's theory about Yuri _'brainwashing'_ me when I was only a human girl with black coloring and witness the powers he claimed that my Keyblade possessed for themselves.

"Conrad?" Yuri blinked.

"Don't worry. No matter what I must do, I won't let them have you. You or Trinity," Conrad said, looking into Yuri's eyes before nodding at Murata too and turning to glare at our enemies closing in on us. Then Wolfram, Gunter, and Yosak all drew their swords too and braced themselves for battle.

It wasn't long though before they heard cannon fire again and were bracing for another bombardment when nothing happened. And suddenly Yuri realized they weren't the ones being shot at! Then he whirled around and saw that someone else's ships were shooting cannon's at Big Shimaron's ships and Yuri looked at the others hopefully when he realized-it was Gwendal! With a whole fleet alongside him!

After that Yuri sighed in relief and looked back over at me as my eyes fluttered open and smiled, "It's going to be ok now Trinity! Gwendal's come to save us!"

"Brother?" Wolfram gaped, unable to figure out how he knew to bring their fleet with him.

"Nice timing!" Murata grinned, "That's Lord Von Voltaire for you!"

Realizing that Murata was the one responsible for Gwendal's speedy arrival, Yuri exclaimed, "Murata! You knew this would happen?!"

Looking up at Yuri, Murata grinned again, "I won't lose to Big Shimaron when it comes to being prepared."

In the background, I could hear Big Shimaron's men shouting something about retreating and could still hear the shrill whistle of cannonballs before they collided with their ships. I could also hear what I assumed was this _'Gwendal's'_ voice barking orders about keeping up on the offensive until all of their ships gave up and turned back. Above me, Yuri and the others were still standing there and there were...winged skeletons flying above us?

_Great, I must be hallucinating. _I thought at first before I looked back down and watched them all lean against the railing as Yuri shouted happily, "They did it!"

Upon hearing that, my heart sank. Wasn't I the one who saved him first? I mean I was glad we were saved but...it was like they had forgotten all about me. And it frightened and hurt me more then I dared to admit both to them, and myself. Because if I did, it would mean that I was beginning to trust what that hooded man was saying more than I should.

Without saying anything, I pulled myself further upright and stood up, staggering slightly but I was able to steady myself pretty quickly and walked away from them. They were safe now. And they didn't need me dampening their mood with my doubts so I left. That way, they could celebrate their victory in peace...

And in a way I was grateful that Murata didn't try and stop me, all he did was smile sadly as I walked away as if to say he understood what I was going through. At least to a degree. However, I only managed to make it to the door before my knees buckled and everything went black. Almost like every time I withdrew from the light out of fear of losing it, the darkness was always there to pull me back in, and trap me there.

* * *

By the time we finally made it to the shores of the Great Demon Kingdom, I still hadn't regained consciousness or showed any signs of waking. We made it back to Yuri's homeland safely by the next day, but they knew something was seriously wrong with me and that they needed to see Geisila at once so I was brought there ahead of them.

Despite their concern about me, Yuri allowed himself to relax a little once they passed through the castle gates, knowing that maybe now they could focus on helping me find out the truth and deal with the threat that the Heartless still posed to this world. This is, until Yuri saw the Ten Nobles waiting for him at his doorstep...

"Uh...I'm home..." Yuri said, laughing nervously.

"We'd like to discuss the event of your meeting with Small Shimaron's King Saralegui." Lord Beilifeld said. "That, and why you've brought a stranger back here to the castle with you, a human no less, when you know nothing about their true intentions."

"Um...about that..." Yuri began to explain uncomfortably when-

"Oh, we don't have to stand out here," Lord Karbelnikoff with a smile, "You can tell us all about it at the round table."

"The round table?!" Wolfram and Gunter shouted at the same time.

"Uncle!" Wolfram protested.

"That's too harsh for someone unprepared for it!" Gunter yelped.

Gwendal smirked and noted, "So the round table has made its move...We have no other choice." Then suddenly soldiers literally picked Yuri up and took him through the front doors despite his indignant protests.

And so, the conference of the Ten Nobles began.

* * *

Once they set him down, Yuri found himself sitting in a chair in the middle of everyone else's because in reality, the round table was shaped like an O rather than actually being a table shaped like a circle. And when Yuri saw that this was the case, he started to rant nervously in a vain attempt to hid his discomfort, "This is the round table huh? It's a little different from what I'd pictured...Speaking of which my mom always did like that book Knights of the Round Table. Oh, I remember this painting nerd named Kishi, back in my junior high's art club. We nicknamed him Might of the Astounding Easel. That sounds alike doesn't it? Knights of the Round Table. Might of the Astounding Easel." He nervously looked around again before finally announcing, "Umm...I think I prefer to sit over in that seat...so..."

However, as soon as Yuri began to rise the chair quickly wrapped leather straps around his ankles and he fell back as the same happened to his wrists. "EH?!" Yuri yelped.

"My apologies, Your Majesty. The truth is, because the previous Demon Queen Cecilia' would frequently escap-" Gunter caught himself, "I mean, because, before a matter was settled, she would often excuse herself and never return again, so we had that equipment installed," he finished with a nervous chuckle.

Yuri groaned, "You're kidding me. Come on! Everyone is looking at me and its making me really uncomfortable."

Gunter nodded in apology and began the formal announcements. However, it took so long to finish-mainly with saying the full name of their country which in and of itself was as long as a small novel-that Yuri nodded off. But then he woke up as the chair whirled around to face each noble.

"Celli again?" Yuri sighed grimly.

"Now, to address the real matter here," the chair whirled towards Lord Beilifeld-Wolfram's uncle Waltorana-as he spoke to Yuri, "Your right to become involved with Small Shimaron without our approval. And harboring a human that is being hunted by Big Shimaron."

Yuri gasped, "Er...I went to have fun at a friend's place. That's all. As far as Trinity is concerned. We just met her and found out that she's not from around here and-well-we're still not really sure _what _happened to her yet but she's lost all of her memories so we offered to help out because Trinity saved us while we were in Small Shimaron. I mean it did sort of end up being a bit of trouble, but..."

"You must not go to a country ruled by humans. Let alone bring a wanted human with you here," Waltorana said. "Humans should be left to deal with their own problems, it is not our responsibility to go out of our way to help them when they certainly would not have done the same for us."

"Don't put it like that! Trinity saved my life! And besides, it would be inhumane not to help her when she has been through so much hardship that she hardly even knows where she came from! We had to give her a name too since she couldn't even remember that much about herself! Sara offered to help too but we all agreed she's be safer here with us because the truth is, we found out that it was someone in this world that brought her here _and_ those black creatures we told you about, the ones called the Heartless. And since Trinity is the only person who can really stop them with that Keyblade of hers we couldn't let King Ranjeel capture her either. Not only that, but she's a Double Black like me from another world beside Earth, a world that the Heartless have already destroyed!" Yuri shouted furiously.

"Their thoughts and customs are utterly different from ours. We have nothing at all in common," Waltorana stated when he realized what Yuri just said and paused, "Wait, did you just say this girl is from another world?"

Yuri didn't hear his last comment and while still caught up in his emotions he snarled, "We don't have to think the same way! It's interesting to hear lots of different thoughts! They may both have many different thoughts, but we can come to relate with them!" he scoffed, infuriated that they were being so stubborn about helping me like this.

Waltorana's eyes narrowed as he challenged, "And does that express the true wishes of the Great One? Do you believe that?"

"Huh? The Great One? I don't think he'd be against it as much but...Well, honestly, I..." Yuri began when Gwendal suddenly coughed loudly, cutting him off.

"Ahem!" Gwendal interrupted when Stoffel spoke up next.

"No, no I support His Majesty." Stoffel stated as Yuri whirled to face him, "Without care on whether we're Demon tribe or human, we should all join hands an live-"

"No. It won't go that easily, will it?" said another noble and the chair whirled to face him. Then it went back and forth between the two and then over to the only Noble who was a women joined in. It was probably very dizzying to even watch as Yuri was jerked around each time to face whoever spoke next...

"Enough, I want to hear from his Majesty." Lord Beilifeld said and Yuri's chair-mercifully-settled on him.

Yuri was flung to face him but when he started to reply, his face turned green and paled noticeably. "Ugh. Right now...I feel sick," he said, dropping his head down in hopes of making the sensation of still spinning stop long enough for him not to feel the need to hurl.

* * *

After what must have felt like an eternity, Yuri and the other nobles finally dispersed and took a break for lunch. But Yuri couldn't eat anything because the very thought of food made him feel queasy. And during their meal they talked about what each noble was like and kept telling Yuri to stay sharp. However, while dealing with them was at the forefront of his mind, Yuri was also deeply worried about some of the other things they said, particularly the stuff they said about me and how they shouldn't have brought me here in the first place.

"Huh..." Yuri suddenly became depressed and sighed deeply.

"What is it, Your Majesty?" Gunter asked, lowering his Spork.

"Oh nothing. Hey, Gwendal?" Yuri asked curiously, "Why did you stop me from talking about the Great One?"

"Because it is his will." Gwendal answered simply, taking another bite of his food.

"That's right." Murata came in, with the Great One-in his smaller form-standing on his shoulder.

"Murata! Great One!" Yuri blinked, looking surprised to see them both.

"Yuri. The Ten Nobles no matter how many Kings there has been support me completely. So if I were to say that I was against it they'd be behind me all the way and that isn't the way it should be," The Great One told him firmly.

"Oh." Yuri admitted, he hadn't thought of that.

"The one they must support is not me. It's you," he concluded with a knowing glint in his eyes.

"And that's that so...do your best buddy!" Murata agreed, smiling at Yuri encouragingly.

"O-okay." Yuri said unsurely before glancing back at him and adding, "By the way, how's Trinity doing? Is she still..."

"Asleep? Yeah," Murata replied, "Whatever that spell was that she used to stop time, it took a lot out of her and Geisila said that Trinity might have even slipped into a temporary coma because her condition was very unstable to begin with. Even the Great One wasn't able to do anything to snap her out of it."

Wolfram's Spork dropped with a clatter and he exclaimed, "What?! You mean, not even _his_ voice could reach her?! But he's the Great One himself!"

"I know, I'm just as shocked by this as you are," The Great One admitted, shrugging his shoulders, "However, this girl...there's something very special about her and it's not just that weapon you were telling me about. I don't know what it is yet, but, your friend has a power that can change the world. For better or worse though I cannot say, only that it is definitely worth our protection."


	7. Residual Memory

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh or Kingdom Hearts; this is purely fan-made.

**Note: **Hi everyone! So, I wanted to try and get these two chapters posted today and while I was writing this one I noticed that lately I've been doing a lot of Wolfram-bashing in the story. And just to make it clear, I love Wolfram just as much as I love all of the wonderfully unique characters of Yuri's gang so I'm not trying to hate on him. Maybe I'm just trying to set the stage for a chapter later one when...and this is kinda a spoiler but I had this really cool idea a long time ago of having Conrad face an Anti-form that looks like him in the uniform of Big Shimaron with the Heartless emblem on the back so I thought that either in this story or _'Begotten Hearts' _I would have him, Wolfram, and even Gwendal face their own personal shadows to reflect just how much Yuri has changed each of them since they first met. I would do Gunter too but let's face it, even in the first episode of the anime he was always more of a good person that was wholly devoted to serving Yuri faithfully and as far as I can tell, never really hated humans, he just wanted to get rid of the ones that threatened the Great Demon Kingdom. Anyway, that's all I wanted to say so please enjoy and don't forget to write me some long-well-thought-out reviews! Because I love those the most!

**P.S.** The two chapters I posted are based off episode 100 of the anime so its in Season 3 of Kyo Kara Maoh. And I'm still working on the drawings of Trinity which I'll probably make into a video or a new cover for this story. Either way, I'll keep you guys posted!

~Chapter 7: Residual Memory~

_Still ensnared deep within the thrall of my dreams of days I've long since long forgotten, I remembered a bit more about the day my life changed forever. That day there was someone important by my side desperately trying to keep a hold of my hand as the world around us continued to fall apart and crumble into nothingness. And as our fingers slid out of one another's he forced a smile as promised me, "Don't worry _ I'll find you again! Even if it takes me years, even if everything else vanishes or we forget each other, I won't ever leave you by yourself! I promise you that no matter what, I'll always protect you."_

_Just before that happened, I saw a memory of the two of us running away from the Heartless and I was honestly surprised to see that I was already in possession the Keyblade. But, I still didn't know what having it meant, how I was chosen, or what I was supposed to do with it back then other than fight our way through and try to save as many people as I could along the way. _

"_Keep going _," he shouted at one point, suddenly veering off the path to try and lead the Heartless away from me so that I had a clearer path towards the Door, "I'll catch up with you! Just don't look back, remember to always fight forward!"_

_I also remembered how we were heading for the Door that all of the darkness coming out of, because in front of it, there was a figure that in my memory I still couldn't define as anything more than a black silhouette but he was responsible for what was happening to our world._

_Then, the scenery changed abruptly and the two of us were idly sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea when that same boy-whose face I still couldn't see either-turned to me and he said warmly, "I think I understand now what he meant about how always moving forward is the only way to make it in this world. Because if you get keep getting lost in the steps you've already taken, then you are sure to stumble and fall. It's still ok if we remember the past, just don't let yourself become controlled by it. And I won't, because now I have you and that will be my future from now on _. Now and forever as your best friend."_

_Then, childishly patting me on the head and ruffling my hair affectionately he joked, "Hey, _ do you remember that place we found when we were kids? You know, that place where water always collects right after a rainstorm that used to be full of star-glass that glowed in the dark and made the water look like the night sky? Heh, I still remember how the first thing you said to me when we found it was that you thought that this was where wishes went after falling from the sky. It was so cute." _

_More seriously though, he looked deeply into my eyes and said, "But you know what? I think you may have been onto something. Star-glass is sacred and rare so that's probably why after you went back home, I made a wish on them that day. The same one I was telling you about where I said I always wanted to be with you even if you went far away again. After all, you came from the stars too, didn't you...? That time back when we were little, when I-"_

* * *

After eating lunch, Yuri and Wolfram both went out in the garden to help him try and mentally prepare for being strapped to that spinning-chair-of-doom again and being bombarded with more pointless questions they didn't have all the answers to. Yuri thought he already made it clear as far as Sara was concerned about how he tried to save Yuri when that arrow was released and the only reason he went to Small Shimaron was because he made a promise to, it wasn't like he was hiding it from them. As for me, all they really knew at this point was that my Keyblade was affective against the Heartless and that I still remembered enough about them at least to explain what was going on. Until I woke up though, they'd have to wait for those answers.

"Ah, another meeting..." Yuri sighed sadly, wishing it was already over.

"Yeah. If only I could be there to protect you Yuri-!" Wolfram began when the two of them stopped when they ran into one of the Ten Nobles.

Stepping forward Yuri asked unsurely,"Um, Radford wasn't it?" .

"Has your condition improved?" Lord Radford asked politely in response.

"Yeah. I'm fine now." Yuri answered with his usual nervous smile.

While they were talking, the three of them suddenly looked over to see Lord Karbelnikoff and Lady Anissina-who as it turned out was his sister-fighting over the life of his pet chicken that she intended to serve to Yuri and was chasing with a flamethrower. Yes, apparently in this castle, things like that happened a lot so I was in for quite the adventure by just being in this castle alone with such colorful and passionate people.

"They haven't changed since they were children," Lord Radford chuckled, watching the two of them go at it.

Upon hearing that, Yuri turned and asked, "So they've always been like that?"

Radford nodded, "Yes whether they were getting along or not, they played in this garden..."

Then Radford and Wolfram started talking about how they used to play a game called Hiding the Great One during their childhood and Yuri tried to figure out what that game might be like but couldn't really understand what they were talking about and still wanting to understand it he suddenly said, "Uh, you guys go ahead without me. I'll be there in a minute..." and then he dashed off to go find Conrad so that maybe he could explain it, since Conrad was really good at that sort of thing while Wolfram usually either over complicated it or accused him of being ignorant.

"Hey, Yuri!" Wolfram shouted after him but Yuri was already long gone, again.

* * *

Yuri looked around for Conrad for a few minutes and as soon as he spotted him in the garden Yuri asked him what Hiding the Great One was since it seemed so popular to Wolfram and Lord Radford just now. And Conrad of course explained to him that it was just like Kick the Can back on Earth, but instead of a can you used a Bonies head. You know, those flying skeletons I thought I was hallucinating before...?

"So why did you bring it up?" Conrad asked after he finished briefly explaining what Hiding the Great One was, wondering why Yuri seemed so interested in something like that all of a sudden.

"It was something the Great One said..." Yuri explained meekly, averting his gazed as he quoted, "_'The Ten Nobles exist to support you.'_"

"That's true," Conrad nodded.

"Am I really good enough though? To them I'm just a totally clueless newcomer. And I haven't spent much time with them." Yuri said softly, looking so unsure of himself.

"As long as you understand each other, time doesn't matter." Conrad smiled warmly as usual, "Aren't Trinity and I both proof of that, Yuri...?"

* * *

Feeling confident in himself now thanks to Conrad's advice both about them and about me, Yuri went to the Council room with his head held high and called for their attention by waving them over to face him. And when he did they all stared blankly at him. Startled by his sudden change of attitude towards the continuation of their meeting, which only moments before he was dreading.

"Your Majesty? What in the world...? Gunter gaped when Yuri smiled and continued-

"I'd like us all to play Hiding the Great One!" Yuri announced with a wide grin, "You all don't know me very well yet, right? And no one wants to support someone they don't know."

"Not at all! For His Majesty's sake I would bear all hardship..." Lord Spitzbeg proclaimed as he began rubbing his hands together like some sort of evil-villain-wanna-be.

"No." Yuri said firmly, looking them all straight in the eye.

"Oh?"

"I don't want you to. That's why I want to play this game. If we can all have fun together, I have a feeling time will fly." Yuri said, "And we'll be able to understand things we couldn't before because we didn't know anything about each other. I want us all to share something besides just this, I want us to become closer so that when something like this happens again there won't be any more misunderstandings. You'll know more about me, and I'll know more about you and that I think will bring us all closer...right?"

After a few more words were passed among themselves regarding their reasons for wanting or not wanting to play, they agreed to go ahead and play the game while still very curious about what was going through their young King's mind. As they gathered outside in the courtyard, Gunter calmly explained the rest of the rules and told Yuri he had to sing the National hymn of the Great One before he kicked the head, proceeding to start the hymn in his most dramatic voice as an example but Yuri cut him off. And with that, the game started in full swing. A game that Yuri sincerely hoped would bring them all closer together.

But what they didn't know, was what else they were about to bring close by doing this. A memory given form from a very long time ago, one that was resonating with Yuri and me even now from a past we had no idea we once shared. One that had been brought to life by the power of a certain mirror, the light of their sleeping hearts inside of him touching mine...and most importantly, a distant promise transcending time that we once made.

* * *

Back in the garden Waltorana reminisced about the past and he remembered Julia-who unbeknownst to them was in fact one of Yuri's past lives which was why so many of them kept seeing all those small similarities between the two of them-and how simple and heartfelt her actions always were just like Yuri's were right now. She had told him once long ago that having fun together would help them get along and it was the best and only way to really understand what others were thinking. And that words alone could only go so far to reach the true heart of what people really wanted to do that was often left unsaid but shone in their actions.

He then noticed a familiar sparkle from a nearby bush, the one Julia once favored every time they ever played this game. So skillfully he snuck over to the bush while Stoffel was distracted looking for the others and knelt down out of sight. At first he thought that it was a trick of the light at first but Waltorana soon found out that it was Yuri who was hiding there actually wearing her pendent. At first he really thought it was only a figment of his memory but now Waltorana knew it had been from the necklace all along that Conrad must have given to Yuri some time ago. And when Waltorana commented on it, Yuri told him it was a good luck charm and grinned as he pointed out how great this spot was.

"You can see everyone from here, " Yuri said as he then described how everyone acted to the game. How some people were more relaxed about while others were taking it very seriously or using their heads to come up with a plan together on how to win the game. And Waltorana was starting to realize exactly what Yuri was trying to do. He could understand more about each person just by watching them and how they played the game because it showed him their true nature, not just their stiff politics.

And then, when Yuri saw Lord Spitzbeg step away from the head, he exclaimed in a hushed tone, "Hey! Stoffel walked away from it!" he grinned with excitement, "Let's go, Waltorana!" and Yuri then rushed out once again, full of joy and fearlessness as always.

The moment Yuri ran forward, Waltorana gasped when he saw how it was just like how Julia would have acted too even though she was blind. He also recalled what Conrad was saying to Julia's younger brother in the garden earlier about how despite their social standing, both Julia and Yuri would take what was right in front of them-the raw truth that people would often hide, sometimes unknowingly-and make a decision based on the truth in plain sight. A truth that wouldn't change, even if no one else could see it...

Or in my case, remember it.

"He's like her. Isn't he?" Waltorana said to himself, watching Yuri make his way towards the head.

But then he suddenly saw another image blurring over Yuri's, the image of another boy clad in full body armor with short auburn-colored hair and sky blue eyes flecked with gold. He turned slightly and smiled lightly at Waltorana as he mouthed: _it's time to reconnect._ It was only for a split second, but it deeply concerned him. Who was that just now...? Had anyone else seen that just now?

But Waltorana was distracted when Yuri put his foot on the head and inhaled , until he yelped, "Ah! I don't remember the song!"

Seeing that his King needed him, Waltorana put aside his own thoughts about what he had just seen for now and strode over to Yuri, placing his foot on the head also and started to sing:

_We who pledge in the name of the Great One_

_Gather where He makes His hideout_

_If we were to be named, we would be called the "heart"_

_Upon our word we swear_

_To uphold the Great-_

However, Waltorana stopped mid-verse and with a knowing smile, he changed the song and sang:

_To uphold the Demon King_

_By upholding the Demon King, we are his heart_

And even more surprising, after that, everyone joined in and stepped out from their hiding places. At least, those who had been playing the game. But everyone sang in the entire castle started to sing with one voice and one heart as they continued:

_Always beside us, there is the Demon King_

_Where there is hope, there is the Demon King_

_Where there is pride, there is the Demon King_

_Where there is love, there is the Demon King_

_Where there is fidelity, there is the Demon King_

_Where there are vows, there is the Demon King_

_Ah~! We who uphold the Demon King!_

Meanwhile, Stoffel was grumbling as he was crawling towards them and proclaimed in Waltorana's direction, "You're the only one who won't kick that head, if it's the last thing I do!'"

Yuri and Waltorana both glanced down at him but with a mischievous grin, Waltorana yelled, "Oh, Demon King, our Demon King! Et cetera et cetera!" Then, stepping down and abruptly kicking the head he closed the game with, "I have spotted Your departed soul!"


	8. The Way We Were Before

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh or Kingdom Hearts; this is purely fan-made.

**Note: **In the end I didn't like how the previous version of this chapter turned out so here's the new remake of it. Please let me know if you like this one better or if I should suck it up and repost the old one.

~Chapter 8: The Way We Were Before~

_(Can't Go Back by Alana Grace)_

_A wonderful world_

_A beautiful girl_

_And nothing_

_Can touch or bring her down_

_Life is her drug_

_And everyone loves her_

_But what if_

_Life could see her now?_

_I hardly recognize myself_

_Was that me or someone else?_

_Cause you can't go_

_You can't go_

_You can't go back_

_To faded photographs_

_You can't go_

_You can't go_

_You can't go back_

_Some things aren't meant to last_

_But time was all you had_

_You can't escape your past_

_And you can't go back_

_Was I naive?_

_Was it that easy?_

_Was it_

_Once upon a time?_

_So many memories_

_Like fairtale stories_

_Why can't_

_I leave it all behind?_

_I tried to visit yesterday_

_Silly of me to think you'd wait_

_Cause you can't go_

_You can't go_

_You can't go back_

_To faded photographs_

_You can't go_

_You can't go_

_You can't go back_

_Some things aren't meant to last_

_But time was all you had_

_You can't escape your past_

_And you can't go back_

_You can't go back_

_You can't go back_

_Cause you can't go_

_You can't go_

_You can't go back_

_To faded photographs_

_You can't go_

_You can't go_

_You can't go back_

_Some things aren't meant to last_

_But time was all you had_

_You can't escape your past_

_And you can't go back..._

* * *

_Geisila must have been pretty shocked when she came back to an empty room and saw the doors hanging wide open and practically hacked to pieces. They didn't lock my room like Sara had when we first met now that they knew I could be trusted but still, Geisila expected me to still be there when she returned because of my condition. She only left for a minute to tell everyone that I was finally starting to stabilize and it was possible that I could wake up at any time. What Geisila didn't expect, obviously, was that I would wake up so soon and that something like this would happen in the short time she was absent._

_The thing was though that as soon as I woke up, I was attacked by strange creatures in white that even _I_ had never seen before. They weren't Heartless, they were something else. Something that wasn't from the light or the darkness but perhaps something in between. Or, maybe they were in fact beings of _'nothingness'_ and that would explain why I couldn't sense their presence at all. Just like with the stranger in the hood that we met before..._

_What did these creatures want with me though? How had they snuck up on us so easily and evaded all of Yuri's soldiers? And more importantly, how could I keep them from getting their hands on whatever it was they were here to obtain...?_

* * *

"Yeah! We won! Thanks Waltorana!" Yuri beamed excitedly, even though moments ago he had been freaking out about not knowing the song they had just sung for him in order to finish the game.

Smiling rather widely himself Waltorana replied with a shrug, "I simply supported my King in his time of need, nothing more."

"But still-" Yuri said, turning to face him and glancing at everyone else and smiling warmly, "-the way you guys all came together like that, it was really amazing. I could sense your true feelings through every word and it...well it really touched me. Together, I'm sure we can accomplish anything. So from now on I'll work even harder to bring us all closer together and make this the best country it can be!"

Everyone seemed quite pleased to hear that but Stoffel on the other hand was still grumbling about the fact that Waltorana as just trying to show off when he saw something-a shadow-out of the corner of his eye and he turned around. "Hmm? What was that?"

Walking up to him, his servant Raven asked, "What is it my Lord?"

"I thought I saw something over there," Stoffel pointed in the direction of the hallway just above the bush where Yuri had been hiding during the game.

With a sigh, Raven replied, "Sir, it was probably just...!"

But Raven never finished what he was about to say because a few seconds later I ran up to the railing and jumped with incredible speed and landed right in front of them with a swish of my coat as it settled back into place. Then before the two of them could react to my sudden appearance, I started whirling around with a savage cry-dragging my Keyblade along the ground and drawing a line of dancing sparks as it rose-and heaved it upwards as a light charged at the tip and hit one of the white creatures that had followed me all the way here.

A second one appeared seconds later and lunged at me with one of its long arms and grazed my shoulder, forcing me to parry the blow and step back a few steps. The creature had a long thin body with a pair of belts binding its slender fingers together, a strange glowing stripes on their sides that extended from their chests all the way down to the balls of their pointed feet, and finally some kind of hood covering most of their faces that only looked like a round head with pointed teeth. And on top of its head there was an emblem that was similar to the one that some of the Heartless wore but it was upside down with three pointed prongs at the top in a more straightforward design.

After rising to full height once more, it spoke to us. Although it didn't speak so much with words as it did with thoughts as it swayed gracefully towards me and still pointing one of its swords at me it said:

_Target affirmed, capture unharmed if possible. Eliminate all who interfere._

"Trinity!" Yuri gasped, "What's going on? What are those thi-"

"Stand back Your Highness!" Waltorana snapped, pulling him away sharply as more of them appeared and formed a semi-circle around me.

Thankfully, whatever these things were they appeared to be ignoring Yuri and the others which was a good thing. So as long as they didn't try anything drastic these creatures would have no reason to attack them. But, knowing Yuri and the others as well as I did now that wasn't likely going to happen. And sure enough, the soldiers that Geisila had sent to search for me spilled into the courtyard along with Wolfram, Conrad, Gunter, and a man dressed in green-who I had yet to be formally introduced to-while Waltorana and the other nobles carefully stood aside to let them handle the situation...

Not that they knew what they were really up against; heck, even _I_ didn't know what we were up against. There wasn't even the slightest hint of familiarity towards these strange beings like there had been with the Keyblade and the Heartless. So I was sure this was my very first time facing them too. Therefore, it was up to me to make sure nothing else went wrong and that no one got hurt because of me; since it was clear now that they were after me. Although I had to wonder...who sent them here? Could it have been the other person we were warned about who had something to do with why I appeared here in this world after being trapped between the realms of light and darkness for such a long time?

_Come with us, or you will be taken from here by force._

"Heh," I smirked mischievously, pointing my Keyblade at it in defiance. "You really should have taken me while I was still unconscious. Because now I'm going to give you guys some serious hurt. But first, since you are feeling so chatty I'd like you to tell me something-" I glared up at them and asked pointedly, "-what are you? And who sent you?"

Lowering its head slightly, the creature replied:

_We are the nonexistent ones._ _Our objective is to obtain the girl with the power to unlock the secrets of this world. To that end, we must acquire your power at all costs. Everything else is irrelevant._

Then it took a menacing step closer to me when I pointed out, "Hold on, you still haven't told me who sent you after me."

Ignoring me, they all simultaneously stepped in closer and I could tell they were getting ready to attack again. And there were a lot of them too, at least a dozen of them at the most. All of them the same kind of...whatever these things were supposed to be.

I could probably beat them if I used magic again but I was worried that I still wasn't strong enough to use it properly. And that it would only make it easier for them to capture me if I collapsed again. I just didn't know what else to do since I had never faced these strange creatures before. I definitely knew that much at least. And honestly, that kinda unnerved me because that meant that Yuri and the others were at a serious disadvantage too.

"Why aren't you guys doing anything?!" Yuri suddenly shouted, startling me slightly since I almost forgot about them being there too. "We have to save her from those things!"

Conrad of course reasoned carefully, "If we're reckless it could put her life in danger since she hasn't fully recovered from what happened on the ship. Besides, we don't know anything about these monsters and can't afford to have them attack you for interfering. Just be patient Yuri, we'll think of something."

Risking a sideways glance at Yuri, I nodded and agreed with a smile, "He's right, it's me they want and I don't want you or your friends to be put in harm's way again because of me. And you know, it kinda seems like all I ever _do_ is endanger you when all I really want is to keep you safe, Yuri. You were my first friend when I came to this world feeling so confused, lost, and alone. You gave me a new name and a reason to keep going after I lost sight of why I've been trying to survive for so long. I was ready to give up when you guys helped me remember something important: I'm here, alive, and I will always fight for what is most important to me. My friends!"

As I said all that, I suddenly felt something surge from deep within me and started to glow with a solid halo of light. It filled me with a strength I used to know very well that even after I lost my memories, never completely left me. This power...was my light. The light of made from the love I felt in my heart for them and for everyone else that shared this beautiful world. They were the ones who really mattered. And it was my duty and privilege as a Keyblade wielder to protect them no matter what it might cost me...again.

Weaving through the air like snakes the white creatures slithered towards me all at once and I heard Conrad call out my name and rush forward to help me but as it turned out, I didn't need it. Because by warping away like I had done once before, I evaded their initial attack and countered with several of my own. Lunging and dodging, hacking, and slashing at them with impossibly fast strikes using my Keyblade-which now almost seemed to hum with power and pulse with a heartbeat of its own between my fingers-I slew several of them with a few well placed attacks and managed to reduce their ranks in order to even the odds.

This was the first time I truly felt like the Keyblade and I were one and I couldn't help but smile because I no longer felt so helpless. And once the rest of them realized how hopeless it was, they suddenly vanished. I still wasn't convinced they were gone so I kept jerking my head from side to side as my body quivered with energy. But once it became clear that they were actually gone, the light began to fade and I fell to the ground and for whatever reason...I started to laugh.

"Wow, it's just like old times isn't it? Always being hunted down by one group or another, and never truly free no matter what world I was in," I glanced at Yuri's stunned expression and snickered, "And you, you haven't changed at all have you? Always have to play the hero don't you? But..." tossing my head back and sighing as I stared at the sky, I grew quieter and said more softly as my eyelids grew heavier and heavier, "We can't go back to how we used to be Yuri. I'm no longer me, and you are no longer you. Neither one of us remembers the truth, but, the truth will always stay the same whether it is remembered or not. So maybe these pieces of me really will never become a whole again. Even so, I choose to keep believing that someday you'll remember me the same way you remember..._'her.'_"

* * *

"And you say, Janis, that this girl can wield the Divine Sword?" Alazon-the true leader of the White Crows-asked him coolly from her perch on the throne above where he stood.

"Yes. Her powers are unlike anything I have ever seen before and I sense that there is even more power then what I have already seen still concealed deep within her. I saw this with my own eyes. And I am certain that if she reawakens to that power she would easily become someone that rivals even the Demon King himself, because the power I sensed inside of her is that formidable. So we must take our chance now and capture her now before someone else does once they learn of this," Janis said. "Ranjeel included."

Alazon nodded, "Is that so? Very well, capture her and bring her to me, Janis."

Janis bowed, "Yes my Lady."

"Go now, to the Great Demon Kingdom," she said with a knowing glint in her golden eyes.

Janis's eyes widened and he gasped, "The Great Demon Kingdom?"

Narrowing her gaze, she commented with a sly grin, "You've been longing to go there, haven't you?"

He said nothing but yes, Janis longed to go there in order to see _'that person.'_ Someone who was very important to him that Janis was once willing to sacrifice everything for. But, before that he would fulfill his current mission first, which was my capture. If only Janis knew how alike they were, maybe that would have changed things. Still, those two weren't the only ones who knew something about my special power, the one that I had long before I ever wielded a Keyblade that these _'Nobodies'_ appeared to be after. And it was that power that would either save or devastate us all...


	9. A Moment of Eclipse

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh or Kingdom Hearts; this is purely fan-made.

**Note: **Hey, sorry this chapter is mostly filler information but I'm trying to speed things along so I can get to the next plot point more quickly. Also, I really want to update my story 'Secret of the Black Lion' since it seems to be the most popular lately as far as views goes so I'll probably be taking a break from this soon to edit and update that one. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or questions about this or the next chapter and enjoy.

~Chapter 9: A Moment of Eclipse~

_(Xion Theme by Lizz on YouTube)_

_I'm lost, so lost...will I be able to see the sky again?_

_Oh please, one more day_

_Wishing, praying...wont someone allow this shadow of a girl_

_To see one more day _

_Remember, remember, please remember who I used to be_

_Who am I, who am I, I'm a puppet in their game_

_Dreaming of a life I never had_

_Remember, remember, please remember who I used to be_

_Who am I, who am I, my reality has slipped away_

_Xion, Xion...isn't this the name they gave to me?_

_(Remember, remember, please remember who I used to be)_

_Promise...my friends...I'm still here_

_(Who am I, who am I, my identity is lost)_

_Remember, remember, please remember who I used to be_

_Who am I, who am I, who was I supposed to be_

* * *

_I can't remember what exactly happened after I randomly started to laugh like that; it just felt natural to act that way for some reason. Yet, the fact that I acted that way at all was undeniable proof that I was still in there somewhere. The real me that I didn't know who was still inside of me and cheering me on. Kinda strange that I was able to suddenly revert to my old self like that when none of us had really done anything to trigger it. That's what Yuri said before too. About how he didn't feel like he had done anything all that helpful as far as getting back my memories went._

_But...that's the thing. You don't have to '_do' _anything to make a connection with someone, it just happens when hearts are naturally drawn together by the light within each other. Like how the stars gather together under one sky. That's exactly what Yuri was trying to do with his friends and peers in the courtyard, trying to find something everyone could share so that would create a bond between them that wasn't really there before..._

_And maybe _that _was what brought her out of me._

* * *

_Unknown Report_

_By accessing the back-up data left behind in Castle Oblivion that was thought to have been destroyed after Organization XIII abandoned this place, I was able to devise how they were able utilize its powers to successfully crystallize a copy of someone's memories in the form of cards. Once I discovered how the process worked, I crafted my first card in hopes that these small samples of her memory would stimulate her real ones and safely allow them to resurface without undo damage to her already fractured heart. _

_The first test has proven successful with the exception of one side-effect I neglected to foresee..._

_It is called the 'Eclipsed Effect,' a phenomenon where a person's personality is overshadowed by another person-possibly even a past life-or one that someone has artificially placed inside of the subject. This effect is most common though with people who once had a different heart entirely, or in other words were reborn as new people. _

_It is commonly known that it takes three important elements to create life: _

_A body that acts as the physical vessel._

_A soul that gives it life, thought, and controls the actions of the body._

_And most importantly, the heart that grows and changes along with the experiences and feelings of that particular person._

_The body, soul, and heart all record their own sets of memories each for a specific purpose and that is self-preservation. For instance, the body keeps a memory of each movement based on instinct, learned skills, and natural abilities whereas the soul is etched with the memories from both the body and the heart so that if something were to happen to their heart or original memories, they could still find a way to survive since it is only once the soul leaves the body that a person actually _'dies.'

_But, when the heart is lost, the body instinctively relies on the memories engraved into the soul in order to produce another heart in place of the old one with the same set of memories so that they can continue to exist instead of completely disappearing. Or, under certain conditions, they can even become a new '_being' _entirely. Such is the case with the process of reincarnation when the soul's memories are completely erased, their previous body abandoned and a new body is formed, and a brand new heart is born instead of being replaced by one more similar to the originals._

_And this is where the 'Eclipsed Effect' comes into play. Because even when a soul's memories are gone a residual set of memories from the original will always remain somewhere in the very core of their being and at times this will sometimes cause someone to repeat the words and actions of the person, or people, they were once before without realizing it. That is why it is so painful to allow yourself to be reincarnated; because once you keep layering pieces of more and more people inside of you and continue to overwrite their hearts, the lines between who they are and who you are will continue to blur until you lose all sense of self. _

_And when that happens, there are only two choices left:_

_Will you continue to live on with the knowledge that you are trapped in an endless cycle of rebirth and that you will never know who your one 'self' is anymore?_

_Or, will you end it all and destroy your heart along with all of theirs in hopes of finally being the only 'you' there is remaining?_

_I have seen countless examples of this. Nobodies are beings like this too. They desire hearts of their own because they know full well that they are only the empty husks of other people who lost theirs to the darkness. Each of them knows that they should not exist, and yet they pursue the right to become real and to exist on their own terms. Because every living thing has a right to exist, even people who have lost everything in the pursuit of something that will never come back. A heart, once lost can never go back exactly to the way it was. It can become something close or something new, but broken things can never be made whole and that is why it is so important that people who have multiple hearts inside of them remember this..._

_For if they don't, all that they will find in the end of their journey is regret._

* * *

When I opened my eyes again I looked around in confusion and thought, _where the heck am I?_

Because the last thing I remembered we were on a ship heading for Yuri's country when we were attacked and I used magic to save him. After that it was all a blank. So why was I sitting on the ground with all these people staring at me...?

"What the-?" I blinked, clutching my head as it throbbed and stood up. "What happened?"

I was still kinda out of it when Yuri ran over to me and cried, "Trinity! You're ok!"

Still feeling very confused, I replied, "What do you mean? Of course I'm ok, I just felt a little lightheaded that's all. But-" glancing around at our surroundings I asked him, "-Yuri, where are we? Isn't this your castle?"

Now it was his turn to be confused. "What? You don't remember what happened just now?"

I shook my head, "No. Why? Did something happen to me...? Is that why you're all staring at me like that?"

"Your Majesty," Waltorana began lightly, stepping towards us and looking at me with a thoughtful expression. "While this strange turn of events was very unexpected I believe we have seen for ourselves that what you were telling us about her was in fact true," bowing slightly, he added humbly, "Therefore I would like to apologize for my rude behavior regarding her condition before. I had no idea it was this serious."

"Well to be honest we didn't know it was either," Yuri admitted as he took me by the shoulders to keep me steady on my feet when I started to sway dizzily. "I mean we saw her collapse before when we were leaving Sara's castle and again after she used that awesome time-stopping spell but I never realized how bad her memory loss was until now either. But you guys saw it too right? That was the real her we saw just now and if we can help Trinity remember everything she'll be able to help us deal with the Heartless much better once she has recovered all of her powers. And it looks like Trinity has other enemies to deal with too so we need to find a way to get closer to solving the mystery of what connects the two of us together. Because it's obvious now that we must have really known each other before somewhere. So, if you guys don't mind, I could really use your help with something important."

"Our help? But what can we do?" Stoffel blinked.

Smiling knowingly, Yuri explained, "Just tell us if you spot this other guy wearing the same black hood as her because he knows something about what's going on here. And it's not only with her lost memories, but about the Heartless too and what they're after. As for those white things we'll try and figure out what they are too so don't worry about that so much ok? We'll take care of the rest from there."

Still not entirely convinced, Stoffel shrugged his shoulders and relented, "I suppose that's not _too_ much to ask..."

"Very well Your Highness, we will do as you ask and report back should we discover anything useful so that you can assist your friend here," one of the nobles nodded, giving me a warm smile.

Several others followed the suite and offered to help as well. I don't know what made them change their minds about me so easily but I was glad nevertheless. Still, I wondered what they were talking about. White creatures? The real me? I suppose I could have asked Yuri more about it but my head was killing me and I didn't want to think about anything else except for getting something to eat and sitting down in a chair to catch my breath.

It was really weird that I couldn't remember leaving my room but I felt as if I had just been fighting off some kind of enemy. I could still feel it, that faint tingling hum of energy left in my arms and the rest of my body from when I was still locked in the heat of battle. My Keyblade was gone now but I could still feel the memory of its warm weight resting between my hands and the lingering power of its light coursing through the tips of my fingers. So something had definitely happened to me, I just couldn't remember what...or why it happened.

* * *

Meanwhile, far from where we were something else was happening that would ultimately lead us down the path fate had in store for me. Because Janis-who had been researching the relation between the Heartless and my Keyblade-discovered that some of them were in fact in possession of pieces of my memories which had also been transformed into cards and scattered throughout this world; or more precisely, misplaced by the one who create them in the first place.

And being a person created from memories himself, Janis knew exactly what these memories were capable of creating, but more importantly, those cards finally revealed my true identity to them. Not everything about me mind you, but just enough to make it clear that these memories were what I was after and that they could use them to try and win me over to their side once they infiltrated the Great Demon Kingdom to capture me on Alazon's orders.

"These creatures appear to be growing greatly in numbers," Janis commented grimly to himself as they finished off the last of the Heartless that tried to attack them along the road that night. Then, glancing at the card he found after defeating one of the more powerful ones Janis added thoughtfully to himself, "Now we have three of these cards altogether and all of them appear to have the same essence as that girl Alazon has ordered us to capture. And thanks to these, at least now we know more about her. Although I have to wonder who it was that took the time to craft these only to have them stolen by these monsters. It seems like a waste to allow such a thing to happen, unless...they wanted to test her strength by forcing her to face these monsters to get them back. Hmm..."

"Lord Janis," one of his men called as he rode over with a message he had just received from one of their spies that was already over here in the Great Demon Kingdom along with the rest of us, "I have received some more information about our target Sir."

Janis turned and nodded, "Very well, continue your report."

Unfolding the tiny piece of paper in his hands, the White Crow read it over and informed him, "First of all, we have confirmed what her appearance is: she has black hair and black eyes but the left eye is silver and as of right now she is still wearing the same black coat. And while she doesn't appear to remember her own name as of yet, the Demon King has taken to calling her _'Trinity.' _Also, we learned that the creatures we have been fighting are actually known as _'Heartless'_ and that come from a place known as the Realm of Darkness that lies on another plane of existence parallel to ours. They are darkness made real from inside of the hearts of living things and instinctively attack anything that possesses a heart and produce new Heartless by consuming those hearts in which their power level varies depending on how much darkness was inside of the heart that was consumed. And finally, our spy reported seeing her being attacked by another set of creatures in white that told her that they were sent to the castle to capture her as well which suggests that they have a higher function then these Heartless do that have no clear leader and attack indiscriminately. They were defeated almost immediately however so we were unable to find out more about them. The rest is merely a confirmation of what we know from King Ranjeel about the unusual magic she used to rescue the Demon King and it would appear that she has regained some other similar abilities as well that have some connection to these cards we've found," closing the scroll, he nodded, "And that is the end of his report. So, what are your orders that you would like for us to relay back to them Sir?"

Processing this new information about me, Janis replied, "Tell them to continue to monitor her for now and to inform us immediately if another opportunity arises that we can capture her before those white creatures can make a second attempt themselves. We'll continue our journey across the border and will meet up with them at the rendezvous point once we finish collecting as much information as we can before we proceed with the plan. And if they happen to find any more of these cards, tell them to bring them straight to me along with any new information about our newest enemy. That is all."

"Yes Sir," the White Crow nodded as he quickly prepared a message and secured it to their messenger dove.

As they watched the small bird fade away into the distance, Janis ordered them to move out as well and they continued on their journey to where I was. And he had no idea that they were being carefully watched as well from the shadows by a certain stranger who seemed to have all the answers, but seemed content on simply watching these events unfold exactly as planned. He needed me to become stronger and the only way to do that was to separate me from Yuri and the others since his original plan had failed.

At first he truly thought that Yuri would be able to remember me right away since we shared another past together a long time ago. However, since those memories had been erased from his soul that plan was pointless now and it would take too long to try and revive those memories after all the effort it had taken just to salvage some of mine and create those cards for Janis-or anyone for that matter-to find. Because as long as those cards found their way into my possession, he could care less who freed them from the grasp of the Heartless. What did worry him though was the fact that the man responsible for all of my pain up until now had finally made his first move and sent his Nobodies after me. It was too soon though, I didn't have enough of my powers or my memories back to be able to stand a chance against him. And that was why he decided to let Janis go along with his plan to capture me first for now since at least he wanted my powers to grow strong enough for them to use while the other man only wanted my other power, a power we still didn't know anything about that had nothing to do with magic or the Keyblade. It was my power and mine alone. One that even without any memories I could still use at will once I realized it was there, and once I did, it would lead me down a path that there was no turning back from...


	10. Interval of Fate

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh or Kingdom Hearts; this is purely fan-made.

**Note: **Just a heads up for those who have already read this chapter but while I'm not really changing what happens in this chapter all that much, after I posted it something about the way I tried changing her clothing just bugged me for some reason. I mean I designed a cool outfit for her near the beginning and then...I did the scene in the spa and after that it kept bugging me to no end! Therefore I'm going to tweak a few things and hopefully then I can move on and finish a new chapter instead of lingering on the annoying parts of this one so much.

~Chapter 10: Interval of Fate~

"_When a Heartless is born, the body and soul left behind are reborn into this world as a different being. They possess different intentions than their Heartless brethren, and while it is unclear what these sentient "things" are after, it would appear they are responsible for much bedlam in the world._

_My erstwhile friend the King and his subjects, along with a hero wielding the Keyblade, are battling the Heartless even as a new threat approaches. This new threat...they have given themselves a fitting name, I suppose. These non-beings: "Nobodies." A great number of Nobodies have lost human form, as have the Heartless. Yet the Nobody born of someone with a strong heart retains its shape, with but the faintest visible changes..." ~ Secret Ansem's Report 7_

* * *

Several weeks have passed since I first arrived in Yuri's Kingdom, and a lot has happened during that time. For example, soon after what transpired in the courtyard everyone started to take my condition much more seriously and from that point on we started doing a variety of tests to try and figure out another way to get my memories back that wouldn't hurt me so much. Needless to say that also included being subject to the experiments of Lady Anissina whom I met shortly after the Ten Nobles left along with Lady Celli-who as it turned out was Conrad and Wolfram's mother-and finally of course I was properly introduced their elder brother Gwendal.

So now, I've met almost everyone in the castle including Yuri's adopted daughter, Gretta. Yeah, that's right; he _actually_ has a daughter who is almost old enough to be his younger sister! And it took some time, but eventually I got used to the awed stares of people who passed me that were always reacting to my appearance as someone with black hair and eyes just like Yuri and Murata's.

Everyone has been very friendly to me but despite being their guest there I didn't want to be treated as a charity case due to my unstable condition regarding my memories and so I always did my best to look for ways to stay active and prove to them how useful I could really be even without having to use the Keyblade all the time. Besides, I was getting sick and tired of collapsing all the time just after using magic or my other abilities that I've remembered so I started training hard to strengthen my body and hone my skills so that it wouldn't happen again...

Conrad's been a huge help with that and I really enjoy sparring with him since not only is he an excellent teacher and a skilled fighter himself, but from the beginning Conrad always respected me for who I was rather than what I looked like and I really appreciated that from him. Other than that, the only thing I've really done lately is go out on missions from time to time with Conrad or Yosak in order to slay Heartless whenever they appeared somewhere near the castle or the surrounding area. Although even when we did that I was forbidden to leave the safety of the immediate area unless it was absolutely necessary, like when a particularly powerful enemy appeared.

Aside from that we haven't had much luck getting any of my memories back despite our best efforts, and even Anissina was at a loss for what else we could possibly do. Because from the beginning we at least knew that my condition wasn't like a normal case of amnesia, my memories weren't just_ forgotten_ they were either scattered throughout the darkness of my heart in small fragments that we couldn't quite figure out how to reach or it was as if they were gone completely.

Still, I refused to let myself get discouraged by my lack of memories anymore. After all, I had so much to do and so little time to do deal with it as much anyway because of the increase of attacks on people by the Heartless and several more attempts by those strange creatures in white to kidnap me. So everyone was high alert, especially while Yuri and Murata were gone in the other world. The one called _'Earth'_ where the two of them were apparently born and returned to from time to time to be with their friends and family on that side.

I still felt lonely sometimes but at least now I was being more useful to them and felt like they truly accepted me as a part of their group. So every day I would do odd jobs in the village below the castle, help the maids with their work sometimes, or spend my free-time studying with Gunter and Gretta during their lessons to keep my mind off of our lack of progress getting my memories back. And over time, I learned almost everything about their world since I didn't have any other duties like Wolfram and the others did so I could study all I wanted without interruption. My only real duty was fighting the Heartless, and I only had to do that whenever the soldiers couldn't handle them on their own. Other than that, I was free...and yet, still bound by a past I could never escape and a truth I couldn't remember.

* * *

One day, I was leisurely enjoying a nice time relaxing with Lady Celli near one of the fountains as she excitedly talked my ear off about the usual: free love, passion, the God-given right to be beautiful and share it with the world, those sorts of things. And then at some point we started to talk about her fashion designs and how she was determined to create an entire clothing line especially for me since I was so gorgeous and deserved to flaunt my beauty as the only female Double-Black in their entire Demon Kingdom. But while I thought the idea sounded nice enough, in truth, I was honestly a total tomboy and preferred to wear my black coat since it was the only thing that connected me to the place I came from. Although, I still enjoyed being a little more girly from time to time whenever I was around Lady Celli and would relent to trying on a few of her outfits and modeling for her...

Groaning in frustration, I suddenly exclaimed, "Argh! I hate just sitting around here like this with nothing to do but wait for something to happen! I feel so useless whenever I do..." I glowered and sighed deeply as I stared at my reflection in the water and confessed my true feelings to her. "I should be out there exploring the rest of this world, learning everything I can first hand and using my Keyblade to get rid of the Heartless once and for all since they're only here because of me. And of course whoever opened this world to the outside in the first place. Yet, no matter how many times I ask them to let me leave the Great Demon Kingdom to find the root of the problem, they won't allow it. Don't they trust me? After everything I've done for them in spite of still not knowing anything about who I really am or why I'm here? Don't get me wrong, I care about this Kingdom and everyone in it just as much as Yuri does, but when nobody will let me do what needs to be done to stop them for good...I feel like I'm being kept prisoner here sometimes."

"Ah, but maybe they're just afraid to let you go and that you'll get yourself hurt," Celli said simply, smoothing her long golden hair by sifting her delicate fingers through it and letting it cascade down her shoulders and back again.

"What? Afraid? Why would they be afraid of something like that?" I blinked, surprised by her straightforward answer since she was usually so flighty.

Noting my startled expression, Celli continued calmly, "Everyone here loves having you around and they're all very worried about you. You have been working yourself too hard lately and besides, I'm certain that His Highness and the others are concerned that once you find out the truth about your past that you might never come back. Especially since you _are_ from another world after all. But I understand-Love is a hard thing to control! I'm certain that boy you're always telling us about from the few memories you still have must be yearning for the day he can hold you in his arms again! Oh, it's so romantic when you realize that your childhood friend-who is waiting with baited breath for your return-was secretly harboring a deep passion for you all along! So fear not, I'm sure the love you share will bring you back together one day and you will surely meet him again! "

I blushed and argued hastily, "Wah! Hold on! I-it's not like that at all! He's like a brother to me! I'm positive that I don't have those feelings for him. I remember that much about him. Besides, I just-?!"

Before I could finish what I was going to say however, all of the sudden the water arched in a huge wave above me from behind and I was roughly pulled into the fountain by some powerful force that I couldn't see. Instinctively, I yelled out in surprise but then water filled my mouth and I started to see stars dancing in my eyes due to the lack of oxygen.

I tried to summon my Keyblade so I could fight back but I couldn't concentrate with the deafening roar of water swirling in my ears as I thrashed and tried to break myself free. Something definitely had a hold of me though and it was blending in with the water; I could faintly make out the outline of something else hidden in the water, but only just. At some point, I managed to get my head above water just long enough to relieve my burning lungs and call out for help before I was dragged under again.

"Trinity!" Lady Celli shouted as she tried to get to me but unfortunately she didn't make it in time.

Whatever had a hold of me was pulling me further in and I could sense that I was about to be taken somewhere else by the same magic that brought this thing here. There was nothing I could do but hold my breath and wait for it to take me wherever it was planning on bringing me, most likely to its master. After all, this clearly wasn't a random attack. I had been targeted again. Only this time, it was during one of the rare moments when I let my guard down. I suppose it served me right but still...why was this happening now of all times?

* * *

By the time I opened my eyes again I found myself alone in what looked like a random pond somewhere unknown to me. But then again, the only places I had really been to up until now were a few places in Small Shimaron and the immediate area around Yuri's castle. So the rest of their entire world was unknown to me.

At first I thought I was completely alone until I heard a pair of familiar voices directly in front of me. And when I looked around the pond I was shocked when I saw Yuri, Murata, and another boy with black hair who had just appeared in the pond at the same time as me. So I stood up and called over to them.

"Yuri! Over here!" I called, waving one of my arms at them while trudging through the water in my now-heavy waterlogged coat.

And of course, in my haste I had all but forgotten that I had almost just been kidnapped by some unknown creature and brought here by force to this pond where Yuri so-happened to appear just in the nick of time to interrupt it's journey and take me with them instead. I remembered now. After I was dragged under the water, it started to pull me into a strange black vortex under the water that almost felt similar to a corridor of darkness when out of nowhere, the three of them came barreling past us and knocked the invisible creature off of me. What happened to it after that or whether it was a Heartless or one of those other creatures, I had no idea...

"Huh? That voice, it can't be!" Yuri turned and gasped when he saw me too, "Trinity?! What are you-?" but then he turned sharply to the other older-looking boy and spat angrily, "Shori! Now look what you've done? Why did you have to come too?!"

The two of them then continued to argue like that for about the next few minutes before I bellowed begrudgingly, "That's enough already! Stop it you two, arguing between yourselves isn't going to solve anything!"

"She's right. This isn't the time for fighting," Murata told them more calmly and adjusted his glasses.

That's when they stopped arguing long enough to notice that they weren't at the Tomb of the Great One like they were supposed to be since Yuri's brother decided to hitch a ride with them and threw them off course. And that had resulted in our collision before that wound up spitting us all out here when we crossed inside of that empty space between their two worlds and my assailant was also sent off course during the process. That much was a small blessing at least.

"Huh? Where are we?" Yuri asked aloud, blinking rapidly. "And what the heck happened back there? It felt like we hit something but I never saw anything..."

"Well, for one thing we're not at the Tomb of the Great One that's for sure." Murata said bluntly before explaining to them what probably happened, although it wasn't until I told them about my failed attempt at being kidnapped-for what was probably the fifth time since they left this world-that they understood why I was here too.

After that, I cleared my throat and spoke up, "Umm...that's great and all but don't you think we should dry off before we all catch a cold and find out where we are?"

"Dry-" Yuri began shyly and shifted uncomfortably as his brother finished with-

"-Off? As in, taking our cloths off and..." then Shori's face turned bright red when he noticed the way my coat was clinging to my skin and quickly averted his gaze before I noticed him staring.

Frustrated, I said without thinking, "Of course. Now we better hurry up and get out of these wet cloths before the wind picks up and we get chilled, because the last thing we need is one of us getting sick if we're somewhere unsafe."

After that I started to unzip my coat-unaware that they didn't know that I was in fact wearing something underneath it-and the moment that this dawned on them, they all blushed and averted their gazes away from me. It's not like I was wearing anything special beneath my coat, just a sleeveless tank-top with my black pants and boots underneath. So I of course just ignored them as I peeled my heavy leather-like coat off and was about to get out to hang it over a nearby branch when-

As if things couldn't get any worse, shortly after that we heard the sound of footsteps approaching and saw someone coming towards us, and we were all unsure of what to expect so we stiffened on the spot. But then, when a perfectly normal looking couple and their small child appeared out from the shadow of the trees, I saw the three of them relax Yuri and Murata and was honestly surprised when both of them seemed to recognize who it was so I relaxed too when Murata explained to me that these two were very good friends of Yuri's.

"Oh...Your Majesty? And his Eminence is with you, too!" Nicola gasped when she saw us.

"Nicola! Hube! And El too!" Yuri blushed again when he remembered how I was dressed and tried not to glance behind at me so instead he cleared his throat and said, "Oh and uh...my friend here kinda got caught up in this mess somehow too so do you think you help us out? We need to dry off and she's a girl so...ah ha..."

Luckily Nicola had some towels with them since they had been wading in that same pond near their home a few hours before so now that the towels were dry she said we could use them to dry off. But they didn't have any spare clothing that I could use since my coat was taking longer than expected to dry so Hube lent me his robe instead while Yuri and the other two changed back into their original clothing.

"So at least we're in the Great Demon Kingdom," Yuri sighed, relieved once he heard that we were still within his domain instead of stranded somewhere in a human nation like they were worried about before.

"We were just coming back home from a walk on the other side of here." Nicola explained with a smile as he son giggled happily,"El wanted to go outside today."

Yuri thought about it for a moment and recalled something that happened just before the four of us crossed paths and said, "Come to think of it, I thought I heard a baby's voice while we were traveling here."

"Maybe he was the one who summoned us to this place," Murata thought aloud.

"Eh?" both Yuri and I said at once.

"He can do that?" Yuri said, amazed.

"Wow. He must be someone very special," I smiled as I came over and El took a hold of my finger and giggled again. But then I felt this strange sort of nostalgic feeling with this child that I once felt with Yuri, only this I didn't feel as strongly. It wasn't with El himself though, but this power I sensed within him felt so familiar. Was this...could it be that this baby knew how to use summon magic?

"In any case, I will send a messenger dove to the castle informing them that you are safe." Hube said as I absentmindedly continued playing with El and ponder all this.

"Okay. Thanks!" Yuri smiled widely.

"It will take some time for the escorts to get here though, you're all welcome to stay with us. It's dangerous to travel at night and we need to give your friend Trinity here some dry cloths too so you are welcome to stay the night." Hube offered kindly.

"Oh yes, El would like that. We can't offer you much but please ask us for anything and we'll do what we can." Nicola beamed happily.

"Then I'll take you up on that offer." Yuri grinned happily.

"Really? That's great. Umm...I beg your pardon but who are these two?" Nicola asked curiously as she glanced at me and the older boy with black hair.

"Oh this is my older brother Shori. And this is Trinity. She saved my life a few weeks ago and has been staying at the castle ever while we're trying to help her get her memories back since she has amnesia," Yuri announced.

"Amnesia?" Nicola blinked, glancing over at me as I nodded.

"Sadly, it's true," I admitted with a shrug, trying to appear passive about it. "I don't even know what my real name is so Yuri gave me the name _'Trinity.'_ But that's alright, it's still a very nice name," then, half-joking as I said this I added, "And to be honest I'm so used to it now I wonder if I'll even keep my old name once I remember what it was..."

After that, Yuri introduced everyone properly and I noticed that his brother Shori seemed to really like El and kept making the strangest faces that I can only describe as being almost...gleeful. And after hearing my end of the story of how I met Yuri, Shori also thanked me for saving his younger brother on several occasions, blushing and smiling awkwardly at me the whole time as he did.

I smiled back, but while I didn't want to admit it the past few weeks had been more lonely then ever while Yuri was gone. No matter how hard I tried to, I just couldn't keep my restless heart still and started to feel even more and more restless since I wasn't able to do anything else other than depleting the amount of Heartless running around. And I'll bet you anything that Shori noticed this too, how lonely I must have looked as I watched Yuri mingle with his old friends while I couldn't even remember the best friend who was with me before I lost everything I ever cared about.

"Hey, Shori...Go talk to her!" Yuri hinted after he walked over to his brother, elbowing him as I stood with my back resting against a nearby tree.

"W-what, now?!" Shori yelped and Yuri nodded before he pushed him in my direction before Shori could try and make up an excuse not to.

He blushed bright red again as he looked at me standing there like a statue with my eyes closed as I half listened to what was going on around me since I was more preoccupied with thoughts about the creature or person who tried to abduct me before. And even though all I was wearing right now was Hube's cloak-because they didn't have anything else for me to wear until we got to the house-Shori couldn't help but notice how beautiful I looked with the shadow of leaves dancing on my face. But also, there was an air of sadness in my stature that Shori couldn't quite place, since it didn't seem to only be from loneliness, but like there was something else troubling me too. Though neither of us really knew what it was quite yet.

"Umm...Trinity?" Shori finally got the courage to say as he walked up to me.

"Yes? What is it?" I asked with a disarming smile in an attempt to hide my true feelings about this whole mess.

Shori blushed again because in his head he was looking at this situation as one of his games so he wouldn't get as flustered talking to a girl as pretty as I was. But in the end Shori _did_ get flustered and clammed up for the rest of our journey to Hube's house. And I thought it was kind of cute how bashful he was and now I could see the resemblance between him and Yuri since they were both brothers. And then I wondered sadly...did _I_ have any siblings growing up? What were my parents like? Did I have other friends out there too besides just that one boy who seemed like the only person I really remembered all that much about? I didn't know, and it made my heart ache even more...

* * *

Finally after an hour long carriage ride we finally arrived at Hube's house. And when we noticed how small it was compared to what most other nobles were used to living inside of, Nicola told us about how they used to stay in the larger house next door, but, she was used to a small house growing up back in Sevilara and asked to live here instead. Then Hube pointed out that the larger manor was actually right next to it.

"We're sorry to bother you on your rare day off Hube," Yuri apologized after hearing about the other reason why they had spent the day outside today.

"Not at all. Don't worry yourselves about that," Hube smiled warmly. He was always happy to see Yuri, the young man who made his peaceful and happy life with Nicola even possible by forgiving his sins and reuniting the two lovers, which all happened on the very night his son El had been born.

"You sound like you have to work a lot and rarely have enough time at home Hube," I commented as we sat down at the table together.

"That's true, but we were able to spend a lot of time together as a family today. We also got to see His Majesty and make a new friend. That makes me very happy!" Nicola laughed with a smile.

I smiled at her too and glanced down as I murmured under my breath, "That's good to hear, that at least you were able to be with the person you miss so much."

"Oh! I almost forgot! Trinity, let's go get you changed...I can't believe I almost let you run around like that! I'm so sorry!" And then Nicola suddenly took my hand and we left the room for a bit so that I could change back into something more suitable.

Glancing back at everyone I waved as we rounded the corner, "I'll be back soon."

* * *

We went through a few different outfits but I had never been very fond of dresses, even back at the castle unless it was for a special occasion so I told her, "Nicola? If you don't mind I'd rather not wear a dress if it's possible so do you have any working cloths I could borrow until my coat is done drying?" I chuckled lightly but my laughter didn't reflect in my eyes as I continued. "I like to be able to move freely in case something happens again like it always does when I'm around so..."

Nicola stopped rummaging through her closet and took a hold of my hands suddenly, saying with a motherly concern glittering in her brown eyes, "Trinity...what's wrong? I know it's a bit sudden but you look very unhappy. Is something the matter? You can tell me, I'm listening."

"I just...don't know what I'm doing anymore," I confessed. "I haven't even been able to find any more clues about my forgotten past and what little I still do remember makes no sense to me at all. And unlike Yuri, I can't go home whenever I feel like it. I don't even know where it is or if it's still there to go back to. Also, I know that I can't stay here forever no matter what they say because I have to believe that there is someone out there waiting for me too. But when I'm with Yuri and the others, sometimes I don't feel like I belong with them and out of place here. My amnesia never used to bother me this much but now I'm starting to feel like I don't even know what it means to be _me_ anymore and that I'm just idly watching the days go by without doing everything I can to remember my past like I said that I would. Even when I'm around a lot of people, I feel so alone. I feel...different from all of them; an outcast and outsider that will never belong here no matter how hard I try to pretend I do. I mean, I've made such good friends since coming here but..." I went to the window and looked outside. "Who are _my_ real friends? What happened to them? Are they out there waiting for me too? Will I ever see them again? Or am I really all alone in this world, destined to fade away from their memories too until there is nothing left of my past for me to even find anymore...? Because if I can't find it and they don't know me anymore then it's like I cease to exist and all that's left is this person I don't know how to be."

Down below, it just so-happened that one of the White Crows spies was there investigating El as a possible wielder of the Divine Sword if they couldn't find a way to capture me. As he recalled, they had been told that if anyone of their members spotted me outside of the castle grounds to report it right away to Janis. Although he honestly never thought I would be here of all places; far from the protection of the Demon Kingdom's soldiers. And so the White Crow member slipped back into the shadows and dashed off to report it to Janis, who had just crossed the border and entered the Great Demon Kingdom the day before...

Suddenly, El began to cry when he had sensed the imminent danger nearby and Nicola hastily left the room to go check on him after telling me that she would be right back. I didn't follow her but I did manage to find an outfit that could work and quickly changed into it.

Meanwhile, back downstairs Hube was gently rocking El in his arms and tried to reassure his son that everything was ok and sooth him but it didn't seem to be working at all, "There there. What's wrong?" After that, both Yuri and Murata tied to make him laugh but El continued to cry on.

"Let me try," Shori offered, and since he wasn't having any luck, Hube handed him over to Shori just as I finally came back into the room. And I smiled when I saw the way that El quickly calmed down and laughed again thanks to Shori playfully coddled him.

"Wow, you're really good with children Shori," I laughed. "You'll make a very good father yourself one day.

As Shori looked up at me he saw that now I was wearing what appeared to be a white long sleeved blouse with a red leather bodice and faded leather pants, both of which were as it turned out were actually meant for farming. And to complete the outfit I had borrowed a pair of knee high boots and tied my hair up in a long loose ponytail and looped it through so that it twisted slightly at the base of my neck. And I almost looked more like a fencer then a farmer with how well I pulled it off and made even such a simple garment look cool the way I was wearing it.

"Oh! El stopped crying? Thank you Shori, you seem to get along with him very well. I think he likes you." Nicola smiled before turning to me and adding, "And Trinity, you look lovely. But I'm sure you'd look much nicer in a dress instead of those old farming cloths. I kept them from when I lived in Sevilara."

Shaking my head I said hastily, "No, no I'm actually more comfortable in this. Thank you for letting me borrow it, Nicola. Besides, I've never liked dresses much so...well, I'm kind of a rebel by nature and like I said before I like to be able to move freely. Oh, and Nicola," without a second thought, I hugged her and whispered in her ear, "Thank you for thinking of me. I'll try my best to cheer up so don't worry about me because I'm sure I'll be fine once things settle down again. I've just been feeling a little restless lately and let it go to my head. I'm sorry to have bothered you will it."

Hugging me back, Nicola replied, "You're welcome. I'm always happy to help a friend in need."

_A friend in need huh? _I thought as I let go of her and we resumed our friendly conversations with each other. _I wonder if Celli was right about that boy. Does he need me as much as I need him? And when I find out the truth, can I really go back to be with him the same way I'm with everyone here right now? I don't know, but I would like to find out. So no more getting depressed! I have to keep my spirits high and do my best to stay positive; if not for my own sake, but for my friends so they don't have to worry about me anymore._

* * *

At the dining table, all of us started talking some more about how we all met each other and what sort of things we were all doing right now. And along the way, somehow, the subject of marriage came up. Then, even more shocking was that before anyone knew it was happening, we started planning Nicola's and Hube's wedding! I was even asked to be the maid of honor, even though Nicola and I had only just met. But I figured that she was trying to cheer me up again by including me so I eagerly accepted the responsibility and honor. After all, after our conversation earlier I started to think of her as a motherly figure, the first one could remember aside from Lady Celli who was more of a diva then a motherly figure most of the time.

The entire house was buzzing with activity and everybody helped out the best they could on such short notice. And since I was already wearing farming cloths, I took over picking the vegetables for Nicola that we were going to be using for the wedding feast. I almost had to forcefully remove Nicola from the garden before she would stop trying to continue working and I argued playfully, "Go on, and get out of here already. Because as the bride to be you have to go get yourself ready! I'll take care of harvesting the rest of these...uh...vegetables." Although they looked more like mud-covered garden gnomes then something that was actually eatable.

"Thank you, but you know you better get ready too Trinity. Especially since you're my maid of honor." Nicola called back with a friendly wave.

I froze as I wondered suddenly, was this what it was like to have a real family? And somewhere deep in the recesses of my memory I faintly remembered that a long ago, she had helped someone else with their wedding just like this. When was that though? And whose wedding was it? Well, there was no way I was going to remember something like that on such short notice and so with a deep sigh I asked the servants to finish up for me so that I could help Nicola get ready. So I guess this was going to be one of those rare times where I was more girly then usual but that was ok. After all, things like this didn't happen every day so it was important to live in the moment and not get so caught up in the past...right?


	11. Call of the Heart

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh or Kingdom Hearts; this is purely fan-made.

**Note: **Sorry I haven't updated this lately but I was busy fixing the parts of the last chapter that were irritating me and also, there's kinda been a lot of stressful things going on in my personal life so that's why I haven't uploaded anything new up until now. But now here we are with a brand new chapter and since I wanted to start adding something a little more Disney-ish to this story I'm planning on having Trinity to use a summon and bring a character from the Disney universe into this world during her confrontation against Janis. But truth be told I can't decide what sort of summon to use. Therefore, once you've read this chapter _(and hopefully re-read the previous one too now that it's all fixed up)_ I'd love to hear some idea's for a good summon, especially since Janis isn't the only one she's going to have to deal with in the next chapter _(hint hint, there might be a boss-fight soon!) _and Trinity will need all the help she can get! And if you can't think of anything then maybe I'll come up with something more along the lines of a Final Fantasy summon...

~Chapter 11: Call of the Heart~

_In the midst of all our merriment for Nicola's unexpected wedding, something was about to transpire that could possibly ruin everything that I've been working so hard to achieve. One of those things being finding a way to finally banish the fear I felt steadily growing inside of me as time went on. A fear that maybe I would never recover my memories. But more than that I just couldn't shake my growing sense of unease as the ceremony went on that we were being watched..._

_I could feel the vestiges of an oncoming storm reverberating within me, and it didn't help the fact that I was already so restless ever since that unseen enemy brought me here. This couldn't all be mere coincidence that once again Yuri and I had been placed upon the same path. Someone put us here for a reason. And I doubted it was good news for either of us what those reasons were. _

_Something was about to change. I could sense it; the shift in the tides of destiny that first brought me to him which were now leading me somewhere else once the stranger in the black hood who had been watching over me this whole time realized that Yuri couldn't help me. How could he? When the chains of his true memories that once tied the two of us together were lost across the emptiness between his heart and his other self, the Demon King? After all, I wasn't the only one of us with secrets. Yuri had some of his own too and one of them was a secret kept between us that could save _me._ However, if Yuri wasn't suitable for the task of aiding me as he once swore to do in another life, then he would find someone else with the power to touch my wounded heart._

* * *

Once the ceremony began, Yuri gave the same speech that he had once given Nicola when he first met her. Something about gloves and the rule of the three bags. And I couldn't help but laugh because of how true it was. Meanwhile Shori just rolled his eyes but smiled all the same and everyone clapped when Yuri was finished and the two of them were officially married.

We were about to start the rest of the festivities when I suddenly stood up, feeling confident, and walked to the stand and looked out at them all as I announced, "If you don't mind, I'd like to say a few words to the newlyweds."

Everyone looked up at me expectantly as I closed my eyes, breathed deeply, and said, "First of all, I want to say that I hope that these two will be blessed with long lives together filled with happiness, love, and that they will build upon each other's strengths so that they can both stand strong against any and all adversity," I looked at the stars as I continued, saying this more to myself then to them when I added, "For them, the only advice I can really give is to remember to live each day like it is the most precious thing to you; for tomorrow something could happen that may shatter everything you know and force you to rebuild your life from scratch into something new and hopefully better. So live in a way that you can be proud of so you will have no regrets about the changes you've made in your lives since meeting each other and falling in love. Forgive not only those who have wronged you, including your partner, but most of all remember to forgive yourself because when you hurt so do the people you love. Love that person like there is no such thing as hatred in the world. Dream like there is no reality to shatter it. Live everyday with charity for your fellow man and for each other so that when darkness comes, it will have no power over you. Hold close that which is dearest and never throw away your happiness, beliefs, or your heart, no matter what. That is why I wish them every happiness the world has to offer and more. I want them to know that the special light born from the loved between two people has no boundaries and it can change the world as long as you believe in it and each other," I smiled, and took another deep breath, "So as my gift to them, there's a song I once knew from a long time ago that being with them helped me remember. And I sincerely hope that it will fill their hearts with the warmth of the light that connects all of our hearts..."

Then, walking out into full view I sang:

_When you walk away, _

_You don't hear me say,_

_Please, oh baby, don't go._

_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let it go._

_You're giving me_

_Too many things, lately,_

_You're all I need._

_You smiled at me_

_And said,_

_Don't get me wrong I love you,_

_But does that mean I have to meet your father?_

_When we are older you'll understand_

_What I meant when I said no, I don't think life is quite that simple._

_When you walk away, _

_You don't hear me say,_

_Please, oh baby, don't go._

_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let it go._

_So simple and clean..._

_The daily things,_

_Like this and that and what is what,_

_That keep us all busy_

_Are confusing me._

_That's when you came to me, and said,_

_Wish I could prove I love you,_

_But does that mean I have to walk, on water?_

_When we are older you'll understand it's enough when I say so_

_And maybe, some things are that simple._

_When you walk away, _

_You don't hear me say,_

_Please, oh baby, don't go._

_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let it go._

_Hold me._

_Whatever lies beyond this morning,_

_Is a little later on._

_Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all._

_Nothing's like before._

_When you walk away, _

_You don't hear me say,_

_Please, oh baby, don't go._

_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let it go._

_Hold me._

_Whatever lies beyond this morning,_

_Is a little later on._

_Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all._

_Nothing's like before._

_Hold me._

_Whatever lies beyond this morning,_

_Is a little later on._

_Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all._

_Nothing's like before._

After the last notes I sang faded into silence, the echo of clapping filled my ears as I excused myself from the stage. Because strangely enough, some of my own words from the speech I just gave felt like lies, since I was honestly starting to feel afraid of my own future because I didn't have a past. Also, when I said all those things I didn't feel like they came from me at all, but some other girl who had nothing to do with me...

Perhaps I _did_ have a past life and another heart that was broken apart too when all of this started the day my world was destroyed. But as long as I had this name Yuri gave me, I couldn't be that person and maybe I needed to stop trying so hard to when I had no idea what I was doing. I should be myself and do what felt right instead of letting my mind get in the way. After all, my heart knew what it needed to do, and it was about time I went back to trusting in it and in the people I cared about too.

* * *

Later that night we were all very pleased with the turn out and Nicola was happily mingling with everyone who came as they congratulated her on her wedding once the ceremony was over. After a while though I snuck back into the house again and changed back into my old cloths now that they were properly washed and dried. Then I quickly returned to the party and looked around for Shori because I wanted to talk to him some more and find out more about their life back on Earth. Once I finally found him, the two of us went to a quieter place since Shori had offered to babysit El while I was changing cloths, who had suddenly started to cry again for no particular reason.

Or so we thought until I realized, "Shori, he did that earlier too, and I'm starting to think that maybe he senses something," I told him seriously, "Where's Nicola? I really think we should tell her."

As Shori kept rocking El he replied, "She's probably still enjoying the party. But you know, I think you're just overreacting. I'm sure everything is fine and that he's just fussy because of all the excitement."

Wondering if maybe Shori was right and I was only getting uptight again, I gently stroked El's face and sighed, "Maybe you're right...it's probably nothing. After all, so far we haven't seen any Heartless either so we should be fine. They would have sent word to us if they had appeared all the way out here in this part of the country."

Then the two of us started to talk about what it was like on Earth until Shori realized he forgot El's toy dragon and figured that was the real reason was why El was crying so much. Therefore, he turned to me as he stood up, handed me the baby, and said, "Wait here with El, I'll be right back!"

"Uh, ok..." I blinked, suddenly finding myself alone in the dark with El in my arms.

While I waited for Shori to come back, I started to hum a soft lullaby to try and calm him down. Unfortunately, my lullaby didn't seem to have been very helpful and that's I had an idea and looked up at the Bonie circling overhead and called, "Hey, Bonie? Why don't we see if you can cheer him up?"

In response, the Bonie came down and after accepting him from me it lifted El into the air for awhile and playfully weaved through the air and I watched them fly with a soft smile on my lips when El finally started to laugh again. Then out of nowhere, a boomerang came whirling at them from out of the trees and hit it and El began to fall to the ground!

"El!" I cried out in horror as I dashed away from the bench to catch him when a cloaked man got to him first and started to run off back into the forest. Clenching my teeth, I summoned the Keyblade and chased after him without pausing to think that it might be a tactical maneuver to lead me away further away from the others. That's when out of the corner of my eye I saw Shori start running after the man that had El too with a toy dragon in his hands.

"Wait! Who are you?! Give El back!" Shori shouted angrily, accidentally dropping the toy as he skidded to a halt when another Bonie swooped down and grabbed El right out of the kidnapper's arms but then two more men appeared and struck it down too. After that, El fell down again and instinctively I shot a beam of light at him with my Keyblade, producing a shield around his tiny form and let him down softly. However, one of the White Crows got to him before I could and I screamed, "Give him back you creeps!" And I started chasing his captor along with Shori deeper into the forest.

* * *

For a girl, Shori thought, I was very fast. Of course, he didn't know that not only had I been training with Conrad, but I was also naturally light on my feet. So Shori had a very hard time keeping up with me. Once I made it further up ahead, I saw a bridge where a bunch of Bonies and the White Crows were fighting for the custody of El. To protect himself, I was absolutely positive that El had used his special affinity to use summon magic to call the Bonies to come save him.

And when I caught up to them I yelled, "Whoever you are, you better give him back right now or you'll be sorry!" Then I looked up at Janis with anger burning inside of me but was surprised when I suddenly felt like I knew him. Had I seen him somewhere before? Or worse, was he the man we were warned about who brought me to this world...?

Just then, before I could so much as take another step, Hube appeared and jumped right over my head on his horse and began to fight the men in front of me with wild abandon as he tried to rescue his son. Meanwhile, Janis was simply observing us from on a hill top near the bridge on his horse and watching the whole scene unfold as he waited for the right moment to strike. They only needed to lure me a little further away from Yuri and the others and then they wouldn't need to use the child as bait anymore.

It was then that Shori finally showed up too after he heard the sword's clanging and ran towards it after having had lost sight of me earlier. Meanwhile I wanted to help fight too but the moment I broke through the trees I felt a sharp pain in my chest and staggered slightly, blinking in confusion.

"What the-?" I asked myself when it happened again and I looked up to see something shining beneath the folds of Janis's cloak.

The cards that they were collecting were resonating with me and one of them just so happened to be related to another kind of magic I had forgotten how to actually use, but faintly recalled thanks to meeting El. It was summon magic. And as soon as I felt it's power surge within me and the presence of another entity making a connection through that card, I instinctively focused my power through the Keyblade and holding one hand over my heart as it started to shine and I said in a strangely calm tone-"Please, lend me your strength!"

A feeling unlike anything I had ever felt before filled me and before I knew it my Keyblade was weaving gracefully through the air as I enacted the summoning spell. And for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, I felt the presence of someone I knew was close to my heart even from across an endless sea of worlds. They were answering my call for aid and I could feel the world itself trembling as the night sky shook and a figure appeared in a blaze of light.

And that figure was-

_To be continued..._


End file.
